After a long absence, Blizzard Entertainment has confirmed thatBlizzConis coming back. This legendary summit has allowed Blizzard fans from all over the world to connect, make friends, and share their passion for games such asWorld of Warcraft,Starcraft,Diablo, andOverwatch. While BlizzCon held an online event in 2021, it was a much smaller affair than the annual convention its attendees were familiar with. The last traditional BlizzCon was in 2019, whereDiablo 4andOverwatch 2were famously announced, and the final World Championship forStarcraft 2was hosted with Park “Dark” Ryung-woo crowned as its champion.
Earlier this year, the President of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Ybarra revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that the team wasgearing up for BlizzCon’s return in 2023, hiring a new leader for its BlizzCon department in April McKee. Though Ybarra couldn’t confirm that BlizzCon would be coming back in 2023 at the time, McKee finally broke silence during the company’s official end-of-year update posted on December 21.
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BlizzCon is indeed returning, and players will be able to know its exact date, format, and more at the start of 2023. Though the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the convention’s absence,Blizzard Entertainment canceled 2022’s BlizzConprimarily due to the bad press and sexual harassment lawsuits that plagued the company at the time. In an effort to fix its abusive workplace culture, Mika Ybarra welcomed Jessica Martinez as its Vice President and Head of Culture. Though it’s too early to tell the long-term results of the hire, Ybarra reassured fans in the end-of-year update to expect to see the fruits of Blizzard’s labor in 2023 (and hopefully for many years to come).
With theWorld of Warcraftroadmap for 2023 revealed, andDiablo 4confidently approaching its June 6 release date, one can’t help but wonder what the focus of the next BlizzCon is going to be. Though tied to its controversial Battle Pass system,Overwatch 2still has a story campaign to unveil, and if the BlizzCon event is held in late fall, fans might see the announcement of the nextWorld of Warcraftexpansion.
Though it may take time for Blizzard Entertainment to regain the trust of its fans, thenew direction inWorld of Warcraft: Dragonflighthas players excited that the developers might finally be listening to community feedback. Regardless of what title finds itself in the spotlight at the upcoming BlizzCon event, its return will no doubt signify a return to normalcy for both the company and the fanbase.
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