Game developer Blizzard announced Tuesday that it is canceling its annual gaming convention, BlizzCon, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. An online event is being planned for early 2021, Executive Director Saralyn Smith said
“We’re talking about how we might be able to channel the BlizzCon spirit and connect with you in some way online, far less impacted by the state of health and safety protocols for mass in-person gatherings,” Smith said.
Smith also addressed concerns the e-sports community might have, saying “BlizzCon is also a stage for big e-sports 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.”
The convention is a massive event, with around 40,000 attendees in recent years, and features numerous events for fans of Blizzard’s franchises including Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch. It’s also Blizzard’s favorite venue for revealing new details or trailers for upcoming games. The company officially announced Diablo IV at BlizzCon 2019, for example.
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