As you might remember, last year’s Blizzcon was canceled and moved to early this year in online-only form (I probably don’t need to explain why). We’ve been getting some bits of information here and there, but now we’re getting closer to the event (February 19-20) and learned even more about it.
Most importantly, BlizzConline will be free to everyone – you don’t need any kind of virtual ticket like you did previously. There will be six channels covering different games, one of which will jump between streams to showcase the most important stuff. You’ll be able to watch the event through official BlizzCon website, as well as services such as Twitch or YouTube.
BlizzConline will start on February 19 at 2 PM PST (23:00 CET) with a showcase of the latest game content from different development teams. We’ll definitely see Hearthstone there – it might be an announcement of new expansion, new game mode or maybe even both!
The second day, starting on February 20 at 12 PM PST (21:00 CET) will focus mostly on the community – including the winners of Community Showcase contests (such as Artwork, Cosplay etc.).
Detailed schedule should be shared soon – we’ll post it as soon as it’s up!
The event will also be a time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Blizzard. There’s a Helm of Domination (Lich King’s helm) replica coming to Gear Store on February 19, and you can already purchase commemorative bundles with loot for different games.
Read more in the official blog post below:
Denizens of Azeroth, defenders of Sanctuary and the Koprulu Sector, heroes of Overwatch and the Nexus—we’d like to extend you a formal invitation to connect with your allies and rivals across the Blizzard community (virtually) during BlizzConline™ this February 19–20!
BlizzConline is an all-digital community celebration and exhibition of Blizzard games and universes—a chance for us to get together in the online world while circumstances keep us from gathering in the real one. We’ll be celebrating some fun milestones, shining a spotlight on the epic things the Blizzard community has been up to, and sharing the latest Blizzard game news with everyone.
You’ll be able to watch the entirety of the show completely free through the BlizzCon website, where you can choose between six channels of content covering your favorite games. You’ll also be able to watch the show on your favorite streaming platforms, including Twitch and YouTube.
On both days, we have a variety of events and preproduced segments planned to bring some of the BlizzCon spirit into your homes. We’ll dive deeper into Blizzard’s games and universes with developers, host some fun gaming competitions featuring esports pros, and a whole lot more.
Day 1 will kick off at 2 p.m. PST on Friday, February 19, with an opening segment that includes a first look at some of the latest game content the development teams have been working on. Then for the next three-plus hours, you’ll have the option to tune in to one of the six different themed channels, so you can decide whether you want to sample a little bit of everything or dig deeper into the games you’re interested in most.
Day 2 will pick back up at 12 p.m. PST on Saturday, February 20, with multiple channels once again, until the fun wraps up at later that afternoon. Throughout this second day, we’ll be shining a spotlight on the global Blizzard community, including the winners and outstanding entries in the Community Showcase contests and exhibitions.
If you miss anything along the way, don’t worry: you’ll be able to watch it later free in the BlizzConline video archives.
Select BlizzConline content will be supported in 12 languages via livestream or VOD, including English with subtitles in European Spanish, French, German, Russian, Latin American Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese, and traditional Chinese.
We’ll be sharing a detailed schedule of events and segments in the weeks before the show—stay tuned!
This month is also 30th anniversary of Blizzard, and we’ll be using the BlizzConline occasion to celebrate three decades of playing together alongside our community. Starting today, we also have some commemorative in-game goodies for sale themed around 30 years of Blizzard as part of three Celebration Collections—check out our blog to learn more about what’s available for each game. And keep an eye on the Blizzard Gear Store for a selection of merchandise to help bring some of the online fun into the physical realm—including a replica of the Helm of Domination once worn by Arthas—coming to the Gear Store on February 19.
Thanks to everyone who sent in entries for the Community Showcase, and thanks to all our players around the world who’ve been channeling the BlizzCon spirit every day in-game. We can’t wait to connect with you all later this month!
What sort of time do these things tend to finish? The start times are quite late into the evening over here, will they still be going the following morning in gmt?
Probably yes. Normally BlizzCons go for ~10 hours each day. We’ll know more when we see a full schedule, maybe this one will be shorter, but I expect at least 8 hours on both days.
That said, even if you miss it live, you can always watch the VoDs!
Thank you!
2 AM PT? I’m probably dead asleep.
Perhaps they will announce new expansion considering how early DMF expansion was.
And luckily this time, online event can save their face because no more boos from the crowd if they somehow mess it up.
What do you mean by 2 AM? The event starts at 2 PM 🙂
And yeah, expansion announcement would make sense. Darkmoon Faire released mid-November, so the next expansion releases mid-March (at least it should). It was also announced on October 22, so making the announcement on February 19 would make it basically the same.
Given that it’s a bigger event, I hope for both expansion and game mode announcements. Or maybe some info about the teased Classic set overhaul?
2 PM. My bad. ><