Blizzard Entertainment announced that the 2020 edition of BlizzCon, the company’s annual fan gathering celebrating its staple of games (World of Warcraft, StarCraft, Overwatch, etc.), has been canceled in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. BlizzCon typically takes place in November and is held in Anaheim, California.
The announcement was made in a blog post written by BlizzCon Executive Producer Saralyn Smith.
“Ultimately, after considering our options, we’ve come to the very difficult decision to not have BlizzCon this year,” Smith wrote.
Smith went on to say that the company wants to channel the energy and spirit of BlizzCon into some kind of online event, but noted that because “this is new-ish territory and the different factors involved,” it likely wouldn’t happen until early next year.
She also noted that Blizzard is “looking into alternatives for supporting some of the high-level competition” that would have taken place at BlizzCon this year, and that the company would provide more details about its sports plans “as they develop.”
BlizzCon is the latest in a long list of esports events, fan gatherings, and gaming conventions to be canceled due to COVID-19. That list includes Overwatch League and Call of Duty League homestand events, the E3 Expo and gamescom trade shows, and multiple in-person tournaments run by Riot Games, ESL, DreamHack, and many others.
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