Blizzard believes that the coronavirus might put a spin on their plans, even though the event would be held in November.

Blizzard is planning this year’s BlizzCon, which would be held in Anaheim in November, but they already alert us that the event could be taken off the shelf. „While we’re all hopeful that things will look better later in the year, the bottom line is that at this point it’s too early to know whether BlizzCon 2020 will be feasible. The health of our community, employees, and everyone who helps with the show is our top consideration. It might be a few months before we know for certain if or how we’ll proceed, but as soon as we have a meaningful update, we’ll share it,” BlizzCon executive producer Saralyn Smith wrote in an update.

Since 2005, BlizzCon was only skipped twice, which means it is an important event for the company, as they tend to reveal more information about their key IPs here (Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft, or we could also say Overwatch at this point), but it was quite divisive in the past two years. In 2018, they pissed the fans off by announcing the mobile game Diablo Immortal, and in 2019, the ground was hot under their legs after banning Blitzchung, who expressed his Hong Kong-supporting opinion in a broadcast.

„We do want to mention that before the recent events we had been actively working to finalize our plans and are still doing so, despite the workplace changes we’ve now made at Blizzard. That includes considering a range of scenarios and possibilities, not just in terms of the show, but also regarding what the experience would be for you. We know BlizzCon also involves preparation on your part, so we’ll do our best to provide as much clarity as we can, as quickly as we can,” Smith added.

So it could be a digital event, which might not be as profitable for Blizzard, but seeing how a lot of events got cancelled this year (Game Developers Conference, E3, Taipei Game Show…), it would make sense at the moment to go at least digital.

The coronavirus might be with us in November, too, but possibly in its second wave.

Source: PCGamer

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