BlizzCon 2024, the major video game exhibition organised by Blizzard Entertainment, has been cancelled. The news was announced on Blizzard’s website with a note that said: “After careful consideration, we at Blizzard have made the decision not to hold BlizzCon in 2024”.
According to TweakTown.com, the cancellation makes sense due to the rising operational costs forcing mass layoffs. A Blizzard spokesperson has said: “This a Blizzard decision. We have explored different event formats in the past and this isn’t the first time we’re skipping BlizzCon or trying something new. While we have great things to share in 2024, the timing just doesn’t line up for one single event at the end of the year”.
The cancellation of BlizzCon is nothing new: according to the Verge, in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the event returning in an online format, however in 2022, BlizzCon was cancelled again amid state and federal workplace harassment lawsuits. The event in 2023 attracted a worldwide audience of 40,000, additionally over 3,300 individual live streaming channels showcased the event, adding up to 8.65m hours of watch time of the event.
Blizzard has released a statement on the cancellation that said:“Rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years…we’re also looking forward to the Overwatch Champion Series’ stops at both Dreamhack Dallas and Dreamhack Stockholm…our hope is that these experiences – alongside several live-streamed industry events where we’ll keep you up to date with what’s happening in our game universes – will capture the essence of what makes the Blizzard community so special.”
