It was expected, along with every convention and meeting that has been planned for the entirety of 2020 prior to the pandemic, yet it has just been made official; Blizzcon 2020 has been cancelled due to concerns over COVID-19.
This isn’t the first blow to Blizzard coming directly from COVID-19, which has also thrown a sizeable wrench into their Overwatch League that is well into its third season in what was supposed to be the most precarious season yet, with homestands around the world replacing Blizzard Arena in LA.
Overwatch League was one of the first esport to be hampered by COVID-19 as Blizzard was rapidly rescheduling and canceling LAN matches that were to take place in China, then in Asian countries, followed by a mass cancellation of all LAN events around the world.
For a season that was going to bring renewed viewership as cities and provinces surrounded the Overwatch team that was to represent them, along with giving an opportunity for fans to meet their favorite players and hawk some merchandise.
Instead, teams are attempting to play with latency in crucial matches while other teams dissolve completely (allegedly) due to the stress of the pandemic.
Further, after Warcraft 3 Reforged turned heads for all of the wrong reasons; it broke the classic title and forced an upgrade for thousands of users that left a title that they purchased in 2002 unable to be launched on aging PCs, to which Blizzard replied that they should not play until they can afford an upgrade.
This was an additional exacerbation following the Diablo Immortal fiasco in 2018, and Blizzard removing all development from Overwatch in order to work on Overwatch 2, letting the competitive scene stagnate while mired in long-lived metas and insatiable power-creep.
The blows have continued to come at Blizzard (admittedly self-inflicted for the most part), and Blizzcon 2020 was an opportunity for the corporation to engage in discussion with their fan base in a friendly manner, something that they have desperately needed.
Blizzard has announced that they’re planning on an online version early in 2021 to discuss their upcoming plans and operations, along with incoming titles. Diablo Immortal isn’t, or at least wasn’t, expected to be covered as Blizzard has seemingly found fit to let that sit while they continue to hype up Diablo 4, which they’ve been offering slow peeks at upcoming mechanics and champions to play as.
For many long-term fans of the studio that is suffering under the Ship of Theseus dilemma, Blizzcon 2020 was looked towards for, if nothing else, a hope of respite for the beleaguered studio. Notice of any form that the studio will be returning to the original roots of championing unique game play and deep lore that the studio was originally founded upon is desperately needed.
