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What Happened to BlizzCon 2021?

Updated on May 27, 2021

COVID-19 has once again claimed a physical gaming event that was set to take place later this year. After tackling the “ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the global pandemic”, BlizzCon 2021 will no longer be happening, Blizzard has reported. Of course, in light of the sad news, Blizzard will be putting the wheels in motion for an online event early next year. However, the full details surrounding this remain to be seen.

With 2020 withdrawing BlizzCon from the agenda over the same reasons, Blizzard resorted to using a digital front to showcase their works last February. And, despite the unfamiliar platform with half the interaction to boot — BlizzConline wasn't all that bad. In fact, it delivered quite the spoonful of material and didn't dare to dwell on global issues a great deal, either. And now, it's looking as though 2022 might just see in a similar design. But hey — it could be worse.

2021 will be the second year running without a physical event to showcase the upcoming works.

BlizzCon executive producer Saralyn Smith confirmed the news

“As guidelines in California around in-person gatherings continue to evolve and the status of the pandemic fluctuates around the globe, the teams across Blizzard have been discussing what this means for one of the events we miss the most: BlizzCon,” Smith wrote in a recent post.

“We know some of you might be wondering about your own plans to potentially cross the country – not to mention oceans – and meet your friends, family, and fellow community members in California. So today, we wanted to give you a heads-up that we've decided we will not be holding BlizzCon this year.”

“Building an in-person BlizzCon is an epic and complex affair that takes many months of preparation,” Smith went on to explain. “The ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the pandemic have impacted our ability to properly move forward on many of these fronts, and ultimately we're now past the point where we'd be able to develop the kind of event we'd want to create for you in November.”

BlizzConline is looking to make a comeback, so it seems. Either way — any show is better than no show at all.

Will BlizzConline make a return for 2022?

While BlizzCon won't be happening again this year, there does seem to be a lot going on behind the curtains — all of which we'll hopefully see early next year. With Blizzard making plans to combine both smaller gatherings with an online showcase, it's looking as though an event of some sort is definitely in the pipeline. And in times like these — I suppose that's all we can really ask for.

Whatever the case, here's hoping 2022 will bring in some truly phenomenal works of art and blow us all away, whether it be at home or among friends. Either way, it's unlikely that Blizzard will allow for its wealthy player base to go hungry anytime soon. One thing is for sure: big things are definitely in bloom for next year.