Virtual BlizzCon Happening in February 2021

It would seem that Blizzard fans have now been granted a potential reason to rejoice in the face of uncertainty. You might have heard that the in-person version of Blizzard Entertainment’s annual convention, known as BlizzCon, was officially canceled back in early June amid the restrictions on physical gatherings and everything else brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the blog post in which Blizzard announced the event’s termination was a note of optimism, in the form of the possibility that an online-only version of the convention could take place early next year, if several technical factors worked out in Blizzard’s favor.

Well, per an announcement from Blizzard that was published yesterday, it appears that they’ve determined exactly how to make such an event happen after all. They’re calling it “BlizzConline,” which I think is an interesting portmanteau, to say the least. This virtual event is currently scheduled to take place throughout Friday, February 19th, and Saturday, February 20th, 2021. Blizzard has also provided fans and potential attendees with a list of details about a few events they’re planning for this version of BlizzCon.

More specifically, they’ve devised ways for community content creators to share their work with their peers. This process will be carried out through such means as a cosplay exhibition and contest, an art contest, a digital storytelling contest, a talent spotlight, and what Blizzard is calling a “March of the Murlocs.”That’s all well and good in my opinion, but there are two things about which I can’t help but wonder in the context of an online-only version of BlizzCon.

Namely, I’m primarily curious about what (if anything) Blizzard may have up its metaphorical sleeve in the way of major announcements in regards to any of its games that could be revealed at the virtual convention. Additionally, I wonder what will become of major eSports events in the wake of this. Such events have usually culminated at BlizzCon with the finals of various worldwide tournaments for games like Hearthstone and Overwatch.

For the first of those questions, I suspect there’s a small, but still promising chance that Blizzard may have at least something significant to announce at this so-called “BlizzConline.” For example, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands will have been out for almost exactly four months at the time this event is scheduled to begin. Perhaps Blizzard will be able to tell us a thing or two about the first major content update for the new expansion by then.

At any rate, I’m electing to remain cautiously optimistic about the prospect of this new form of BlizzCon. In the meantime, if you wish to have a look for yourself at the blog post I’ve been referencing throughout this article, you can do so here. While you’re at it, however, do let me know in this article’s comments what you think about this whole scenario!