It was just around a month back when Blizzard pointed out a high possibility that BlizzCon 2020 might be cancelled (or delayed at best) due to COVID-19. That unfortunate cancellation has now been confirmed, making BlizzCon 2020 the first annual gathering-celebration of everything Blizzard to be withheld since 2013.
In an update provided earlier today, Saralyn Smith, executive producer of BlizzCon, stated that there were several internal discussions to host BlizzCon 2020 without risking public health and safety but in the end, COVID-19 was too big of a threat to take any chances. Hence, after considering all available options, cancelling BlizzCon 2020 was the only obvious but difficult decision.
Blizzard is now considering to host a digital event instead “to channel the BlizzCon spirit” but such an event will likely take place sometime early next year. Take note that Blizzard has neither confirmed a digital BlizzCon nor an early 2021 date. The company will merely be using the coming months to formulate if such an event is possible, after which an official announcement should arrive.
We’d want to do this as soon as we could, but given that this is new-ish territory and the different factors involved, it will most likely be sometime early next year. BlizzCon is also a stage for big esports events in Blizzard games each year, so we’re also looking into alternatives for supporting some of the high-level competition that would normally take place at the show.
Every annual iteration of BlizzCon is a time when Blizzard makes announcements for all of its flagship franchises. For the 2020 iteration, Blizzard was highly expected to reveal more details about the upcoming Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 installments, as well as updates for the other games. The developer tends to wait out an entire year to make announcements at BlizzCon. Due to the cancellation, you can bet that those same announcements will be coming one way or the other.
