BlizzCon is canceled again, and Blizzard hasn't really explained why - but says it's coming back "in future years"

BlizzCon 2024 isn't happening. Blizzard has confirmed that the formerly annual fan gathering has once again been canceled, but it's still committed to bringing the event back - eventually.

"After careful consideration over the last year, we at Blizzard have made the decision not to hold BlizzCon in 2024," the company says in its announcement. "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."

What Blizzard doesn't detail there is exactly why BlizzCon was canceled. With World of Warcraft: The War Within and major Diablo 4 DLC launching this year, you'd think the company would have plenty to talk about, but those launches might just come before BlizzCon's traditional November dates. Of course, with Blizzard having just canceled its big survival game and made a big executive shakeup - not to mention its part in the broader layoffs at Microsoft - maybe now just isn't the time.

For now, Blizzard promises more info about its plans for 2024 "over the next few months," and says it "will soon share some exciting plans for other industry trade shows and conventions like Gamescom." The announcement also makes a point of highlighting Overwatch esports and in-person 30th anniversary Warcraft celebrations this year as a way of keeping the "con" part of BlizzCon alive.

BlizzCon was held annually from 2005 through 2019, skipping only two years in between. At its height, it was one of the biggest events in gaming, bringing together a community gathering with game news and big concert performances with artists ranging from "Weird Al" Yankovic to Metallica. The event was canceled in 2020 as a result of Covid, replaced by an online iteration early in 2021. BlizzCon 2023 has been the only traditional iteration of the event since then.

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