Ever since BlizzCon came back in 2023 after a few years of break, I expected Blizzard to return to their old ways and hold it annually. I guess I was wrong, because the news just came out that they decided to not have one this year (2024). They assure that the event will be back in the future, but it’s still an interesting decision.
Instead, this year’s game announcements and reveals will be made at trade shows and conventions (such as Gamescom). Which is, frankly, just like most gaming companies do.
When it comes to Hearthstone itself, it doesn’t make a huge difference, because Hearthstone BlizzCon announcements weren’t that much different from regular expansion announcements (just with more details discussed by the devs during a panel). It’s true that announcing Hearthstone Duos live on stage was pretty cool, but I don’t feel like we’re going to lose A LOT. Unless, of course, you planned to go to the event in person.
Learn more from the official post below:
After careful consideration over the last year, we at Blizzard have made the decision not to hold BlizzCon in 2024. This decision was not made lightly as BlizzCon remains a very special event for all of us, and we know many of you look forward to it. While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years.
Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing more details about our launches coming later this year, including World of Warcraft: The War Within and Diablo IV’s first expansion, Vessel of Hatred. To celebrate these upcoming releases and to bring our communities together in new and special ways, we will soon share some exciting plans for other industry trade shows and conventions like Gamescom. We can’t wait to tell you more about those plans soon. We’re also looking forward to the Overwatch Champions Series’ stops at both Dreamhack Dallas and Dreamhack Stockholm. And we’re thrilled to be planning multiple, global, in-person events to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Warcraft, which will be held in addition to the in-game celebrations across our Warcraft games throughout 2024. While these events are distinct from BlizzCon, we’re harnessing all of our creativity and imagination to ensure that they carry the same spirit of celebration and togetherness.
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.
No matter how you choose to connect with us at these events this year – whether it be in person or virtually – we can’t wait to see you there!
