During a fireside chat from Activision Blizzard, President J. Allen Brack announced that BlizzCon, on February 19 and 20, 2021, will be free for everyone. In the past, BlizzCon’s online features, other than the main shows, were locked behind a virtual ticket costing a minimum of $40 for access. Brack discussed the everyday struggles the community has been going through and games have been a refuge in this unprecedented time, stating: “we deeply love video games and we are grateful that games are offering millions of people around the world a way to stay connected.” He went on to assure the audience that Blizzard was committed to the “same level of craftsmanship that we’ve always demanded of ourselves to future games, regardless of platform.” After a heart-felt speech about what games have provided to people around the world during this time, he got to the games themselves.He touched on the delay of the most recent World of Warcraft expansion, Shadowlands,
praising the community for their positive feedback to the news, adding: “the team is currently pouring a lot of love into bringing the best experience possible.” The new release date is November 23.
Brack mentioned Hearthstone’s new expansion: Madness at the Darkmoon Faire and the new Duels mode. Diablo Immortal updates briefly talked about play testing going well, followed up by nods to Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, and ending with: “it’s safe to assume that we’re exploring other things farther out on PC, console, and mobile as well.”
Blizzard has been around for 30 years, 17 of which had a BlizzCon. This is the first time BlizzCon has been primarily online and now they have made it free for everyone. With multiple titles in the works, reception to this year’s convention will be important for the company moving forward.
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