Blizzard cancels BlizzCon again, but comes to Gamescom

Blizzard's in-house exhibition has always been a fixture among gaming events. However, it was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held digitally only in 2021 under the name BlizzConline. In 2022, the event would have been allowed to take place physically again. This year, however, Blizzard was acquired by Microsoft and announced its intention to rethink the concept of BlizzCon.

BlizzCon 2023 took place and brought at least one notable innovation: the "Inclusion Nexus". This was an area at the trade fair designed to promote inclusion and diversity and enable the community to discuss these topics.

It may also be part of the new BlizzCon concept that the event no longer takes place every year. BlizzCon 2024 has been officially canceled. It could also be that the numerous layoffs at the beginning of the year have something to do with this. However, Blizzard has not given any specific reasons for the show's cancellation.

No more regular BlizzCons?

It remains to be seen whether fans will have to prepare themselves to do without annual BizzCon events. It is not unusual for Blizzard to cancel an event. This was already the case in 2006 without any reason being given. In 2012, Blizzard canceled the event because there was nothing new to present. Blizzard itself is also giving fans hope that BlizzCon will be held regularly again from 2025:

"While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years."

Blizzard is coming to Gamescom

New information on games such as World of Warcraft: The War Within and Diablo IV's first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, will be revealed to fans at other gaming expos, according to Blizzard, with Gamescom being explicitly mentioned. It is therefore likely that Blizzard will be present at the world's largest gaming trade fair, which takes place in Cologne from August 21 to 25.