Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the shifting from physical to digital, BlizzCon missed a year in 2020. Now, it looks like there’s a chance that next year’s event may not happen either. Activision Blizzard has announced that it is pausing the planning of next year’s BlizzConline.
The company says one reason for this is that it is directing its efforts “towards supporting our teams and development of our games and experiences”. Another reason is that Blizzard is taking the time to “reimagine what a BlizzCon event of the future could look like”. The company also says that while it is not holding the event in February, it will continue to make announcements and updates for its games.
Of the two reasons, the first one comes as no real surprise. After all, the company still has a legal battle to fight with the US state of California for its alleged mistreatment against employees in various ways. The lawsuit has also seen several members of top management getting removed, including former company president J. Allen Brack. Blizzard cancelling an event that usually takes up every employee’s time can indeed be better used to better the experience of those working for the company.
All that said, Blizzard fell short of outright confirming that there will not be a BlizzCon of any kind for the entirety of 2022. So there’s a chance that something could happen later in the year instead of the cancelled February online event. But it’s either that, or the previously annual event turning into a biennial one.
(Source: Blizzard)
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