BlizzCon announcement is simultaneously exciting and dissapointing

Today, Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind huge video games like World of Warcraft, the Diablo series, and more, announced the return of their Blizzard-focused gaming convention, BlizzCon. The previous annual event has been somewhat sporadic since 2020, when the event was cancelled due to the pandemic. BlizzConline was held in 2021, but was absent in 2022, with it being held in-person again in 2023. There was no event once again in 2024, but there were hopes for a 2025 event, until today’s announcement, which is scheduled for September 2026.

BlizzCon won’t happen this year, but it is officially planned for 2026

The reactions to this announcement have been understandably mixed. On the one hand, it’s great to have a BlizzCon to look forward to after a year without it, but of course, September 2026 is a long time to wait. It’s closer to two years than just one, and fans have already waited over a year since the last event. With the event so far out, it’s also hard to predict what to expect. It goes without saying that every large Blizzard series will be in attendance with something significant to say, but at this point it’s hard to imagine what.

Overwatch 2 will likely announce or reveal a new character, but with how things are going now, there’s no telling what state that game will be in by the end of 2026. The World of Warcraft team could have something new to talk about, as could the Diablo IV team, but it’s hard to speculate with any certainty. If there is something notable the team is working on now, they will likely need to release it sometime sooner to keep players interested and returning to the games during this nearly two-year period.

On the other hand, this doesn’t take away from the potential excitement. Those huge franchises could still have something exciting to announce or showcase by then, and they likely will. But for now, there isn’t much to look forward to other than the event itself. Which will be a great opportunity for fans to come together again for the first time in several years. Alternatively, some other Blizzard franchises could have some announcements to make. It’s been many years since there has been any news on a once enormous Blizzard franchise: Starcraft. So maybe this future event could be an opportunity for some of the quieter franchises to start making some noise. Ultimately, we will have to wait and see, and wait for a while.

World of Warcraft

November 23, 2004

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