Blizzconline has been canceled as Blizzard looks to reimagine the future of Blizzcon and update fans on their games in different ways.
Blizzard has announced that BlizzConline 2022 is canceled. BlizzConline is the online alternative to Blizzard's traditionally in person convention BlizzCon. It was set to run in February, and fans were looking forward to updates on many titles. Most notably, Overwatch 2 was set to reveal a number of details, including a potential release date.
Why was BlizzConline canceled?
Blizzard says that they are trying to focus on the development of their games rather than preparing presentations for the public at an event like Blizzcon.
"Any BlizzCon event takes every single one of us to make happen, an entire-company effort, fueled by our desire to share what we create with the community we care about so much," Blizzard said in a statement. "At this time, we feel the energy it would take to put on a show like this is best directed towards supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences."
What is the future of Blizzcon?
Blizzard also revealed that they are reevaluating what BlizzCon can look like as a whole. Some have speculated that this reimagining could be in response to the ongoing DEFH lawsuits which made the "Cosby Suite" famous. After all, many of the allegations on the behavior of Blizzard employees did take place at BlizzCon.
"Additionally, we would also like to take the time to reimagine what a BlizzCon event of the future could look like. The first BlizzCon was held 16 years ago, and so much has changed in the time since—most notably, the multiple ways in which players and communities can come together and feel like they are a part of something bigger. Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible. We’re committed to continual communication with our players, and we see BlizzCon playing a big role in that going forward. We’re excited about what we’ll do with the event when we revisit it in the future."
When will we hear about the future of Blizzard titles like Overwatch 2?
So, what's next for Blizzard and their titles then? It seems that things will boil down to the timeline of individual teams, making announcements when they're ready rather than a crunch to have things done for a show.
"One more thing we wanted to make clear: even though we aren’t holding BlizzConline in February, we’ll still be making announcements and updates for our games," Blizzard concluded. "We’re proud of our teams and the progress they’ve made across our games. We have a lot of exciting upcoming news and releases to share with you. You’ll continue hearing about those through our franchise channels, with the talented people on the BlizzCon team playing a part in supporting these efforts."
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