COVID Central: Blizzard Still Going Forward with BlizzCon, For Now

Blizzard has never exactly been known for their stellar track record of reading the room (if the Blitzchung controversy, Diablo Immortal, and laying off an enormous number of employees after earning record revenue didn’t tip you off), and they’re keeping that track record going strong by saying in a blog post that Blizzcon, their annual self-congratulatory circle-jerk, is still planned to go forward this November. But it “might” be disrupted if COVID-19 isn't contained by then, and spoiler alert, it almost certainly won’t be.

The executive producer of Blizzcon, Saralyn Smith, had this to say on the matter:

While we’re all hopeful 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.

We do want to mention that prior to the recent events we had been actively working to finalize our plans and in fact 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.

It wouldn’t be terribly unusual for Blizzard to host a digital BlizzCon: for years, they’ve been selling ‘digital tickets’ that let you livestream the convention and access all the same swag that physical participants enjoy. But we have yet to see an all-digital BlizzCon, which is likely why they hesitate so much. After all, if their most fervent fans don't offer them a convention floor's worth of free saliva, how are they supposed to lubricate themselves for another year of screwing over both their fans and their workers?

That mental image was probably a little too sharp.

Sorry.