BlizzCon 2021 isn't happening, but a hybrid event will in 2022

Blizzcon Online — (Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment)

BlizzCon 2021 has been officially cancelled, but Blizzard is planning a hybrid digital and physical event for 2022, according to an official announcement.

The statement from BlizzCon executive producer Saralyn Smith reads,"As guidelines in California around in-person gatherings continue to evolve and the status of the pandemic fluctuates around the globe, the teams across Blizzard have been discussing what this means for one of the events we miss the most: BlizzCon. We know some of you might be wondering about your own plans to potentially cross the country—not to mention oceans—and meet your friends, family, and fellow community members in California, so today, we wanted to give you a heads-up that we've decided we will not be holding BlizzCon this year."

Smith cites the "ongoing complexities and uncertainties" of the pandemic as a deterrent to properly moving forward on event prep. "We're now past the point where we'd be able to develop the kind of event we'd want to create for you in November," writes Smith.

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Despite this, Blizzard is promising a global event "for the early part of next year" that will combine an online show with smaller in-person gatherings. BlizzCon 2020 was cancelled on this exact day a year ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic. A BlizzConline event took place in February of this year, featuring behind-the-scenes looks at Overwatch 2, the announcement of Diablo 2 Resurrected, and a major content patch for World of Warcraft.

Whenever Blizzard announces its plans for the hybrid 2022 event, we'll be sure to update you accordingly.

Overwatch 2 will cut PvP teams from six to five players.

Alyssa Mercante used to be a features writer at GamesRadar+ and is now a freelance writer and editor. Prior to entering the industry, she got her Masters's degree in Modern and Contemporary Literature at Newcastle University with a dissertation focusing on contemporary indie games. She spends most of her time playing competitive shooters and in-depth RPGs and was recently on a PAX Panel about the best bars in video games. In her spare time Alyssa rescues cats, practices her Italian, and plays soccer.