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BlizzConline 2022 has been canceled amid ongoing controversy

BlizzConline 2022, which had been made to replace BlizzCon 2021, has been canceled. The event, a hybrid showcase that would combine features of online-only and in-person events, would have featured “smaller in-person gatherings.”

According to a post on Blizzard’s website not attributed to any author, the hybrid event was canceled because the company thought its energy would best be spent on other endeavors. “At this time,” reads the post, “we feel the energy it would take to put on a show like this is best directed towards supporting our teams and progressing [the] development of our games and experiences.” While it’s not clear how many games Blizzard currently has in development, the studio has been working on and constantly providing fans with updates about Overwatch 2.

However, the company is also dealing with other external issues at the moment that could have prompted this event’s cancelation. Blizzard’s parent company, Activision Blizzard, is currently embroiled in a lawsuit regarding its internal culture. The suit, filed by the State of California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, alleges that the company fostered a “frat boy” culture in which women were regularly harassed and pay discrimination based on gender and race was systemic, naming multiple executives at Blizzard. Blizzard president J. Allen Brack stepped down from his position amidst the lawsuit.

The publisher recently sought to have the lawsuit paused, claiming that there were ethics violations. However, a judge rejected that request.

Blizzard’s post announcing BlizzConline 2022’s cancelation also touched on the future of the event. While it’s not clear what format the event will take on, the company states, “Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible.”

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Otto Kratky
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…
2022’s biggest video game reveals have been a bummer so far
Player with handgun in Call of Duty: Warzone.

The announcement of 2022's Call of Duty was always going to feel weird. Over the last year, Activision Blizzard has been scrutinized over horrific sexual harassment allegations, turned Call of Duty: Warzone into a glitchy and bloated mess, and was acquired by Microsoft. But I wasn't expecting its reveal to be this sloppy.
Activision Blizzard previously mentioned that Infinity Ward was making a new Call of Duty. Then, at 1 p.m. ET on February 11, enthusiast Call of Duty websites and content creators posted that Activision told them that Modern Warfare 2 and a reworked Warzone with a sandbox mode are on the way. There was no official word on these claims for about 15 minutes, but Activision eventually confirmed them... in the footnotes of a blog post. Its reveal lacked excitement, was confusing, and dodged the biggest questions surrounding Activision Blizzard.
Six weeks into 2022, this is just the latest example of a AAA publisher announcing a huge game with little fanfare. But why have AAA publishers dropped the pomp and circumstance of their game reveals? 
Activision wants you to know that 2022's Call of Duty is a sequel to 2019's Modern Warfare and on a new engine. Image used with permission by copyright holder
For the fans
Previously, a trailer, press release, and detailed info about what players could expect accompanied Call of Duty game announcements. In recent years, it even happened inside Call of Duty: Warzone! We weren't so lucky this time and had to deal with a flurry of enthusiasts and leakers claiming to have new information about the game with no good way to verify its truthfulness.
Earlier this week, there was reportedly a call where Activision and Infinity Ward revealed the new information on this game, but it seems to have been attended almost solely by enthusiast sites and content creators. Even the most prominent gaming sites like IGN and GameSpot didn't seem privy to the news beforehand.
This announcement was made by the fans before Activision even confirmed it. Based on the coverage from those in attendance, it doesn't seem like content creators asked the tough questions about the status of Activision Blizzard's workplace, how the acquisition affects these games, and the reasoning behind Activision Blizzard's decision making (perhaps they did and Activision refused to comment, but we'll likely never know).
By announcing it this way, Activision Blizzard circumvents having to answer hard questions about the company's current state, gets free press from its fans, and gets ahead of the leaks, reports, and rumors that have occurred since the Microsoft acquisition. Activision built a mostly positive -- if oddly rolled out -- reveal narrative for the new Call of Duty that doesn't have much substance.
While other announcements this year haven't felt as malicious, they still lacked a certain flair that we've come to expect.
Rockstar announced Grand Theft Auto 6 in the footnotes of a GTA series blog post. Respawn Entertainment announced three new Star Wars games, including a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, through a tweet and press release light on additional details. Even Blizzard did it just a few weeks ago with a survival game blog post reveal that called the game "unannounced" in its announcement. None of them had trailers (Crytek got this right with Crysis 4). AAA games are being announced very early with minimal assets and information, making these unveils much less impactful.
This is the only asset EA released alongside its Respawn Entertainment Star Wars announcement. Image used with permission by copyright holder
For the company 
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The gaming industry is in the middle of an acquisition craze, and studios are reportedly struggling to recruit great talent. Announcing video games in a nonchalant way helps address both of those issues. Games that are almost guaranteed to be hits please current investors and entice potential buyers. Meanwhile, some developers might be more willing to jump ship from their current employer and work for someone else if they know exactly what they're working on. If some fans get hyped and don't ask tough questions, that's just a positive side effect.
These publishers are putting the bare minimum into reveals and yielding the greatest results. And if this strategy generates enough buzz and keeps working, this might become the norm outside of events like E3, or individual showcases like Nintendo Directs, where fans expect game developers to go all out.
I'm not frustrated because I'm not getting flashy reveals. It's that these announcements all seem more focused on drip-feeding the minimal amount of info so that studios can drive up profits, circumvent criticism, and please investors without sharing anything of substance. As a fan of games, that makes it challenging to care about big projects that should have me excited.

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Anyone using AT&T’s 5G network in parts of seven U.S. cities can expect a welcome boost in their mobile internet speed this year as the carrier begins the rollout of 5G C-band coverage today despite ongoing issues with airlines. Markets where the new coverage will be available include Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, Chicago, Detroit, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Miami.

By moving into the C-band, AT&T is able to expand the availability of truly high speed 5G that has previously only been accessible on the millimeter wavelength in very limited portions of major cities. AT&T intends to make what they’re calling 5G+ accessible to 200 million people by the end of 2023.

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The news was broken by VentureBeat, which released a statement from the ESA regarding the yearly video game press conference. “Due to the ongoing health risks surrounding COVID-19 and its potential impact on the safety of exhibitors and attendees, E3 will not be held in person in 2022,” the ESA tells VentureBeat, “We are nonetheless excited about the future of E3 and look forward to announcing more details soon.”

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