Blizzard Entertainment has announced the return of their fan-favorite convention, BlizzCon, in an online format on February 19-20 next year.
“We’re putting together a little something early next year to channel the spirit of BlizzCon into the form of an online show. We still have a lot of planning to do, and it’ll be some time before we’re ready to share more details — but we wanted to provide a heads-up on how you can be a part of the online fun,” Blizzard said in a statement.
While the developer has yet to reveal any major details about the online show, they did share to let cosplay crafters, artists, and other community creators participate in a community showcase.
The community showcase will include art, digital storytelling, and cosplay contests, as well as a spotlight event for talented members of the BlizzCon community.
In addition, BlizzCon is aiming to continue its annual tradition of holding a ‘March of the Murlocs,’ where fans dress up as members of the fish-like humanoid Murloc race from the Warcraft Universe and parade through the convention. Since next year’s convention will be held online, a virtual version of the BlizzCon tradition is being planned.
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Blizzard canceled this year’s live BlizzCon event in late May due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. BlizzCon Executive Producer Saralyn Smith notably broached the idea of a virtual event to replace the canceled convention back then.
“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 in a statement.
BlizzCon 2019, which was held from November 1-2 last year, notably hosted the Overwatch World Cup, Hearthstone Global Finals, and the Starcraft II World Championship Global Finals. Last year’s Blizzcon also saw a number of major game announcements from the company, such as Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the gaming and esports industries. Many esports tournaments and gaming events all around the globe have either been canceled, postponed, or shifted online in response to the scale and dire effects of the virus.
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