It’s been a few years since Blizzard hosted a personal version of BlizzCon, the fan convention, but it sounds like that’s going to change in 2023. The company, known for huge franchises like World of Warcraft and Diablo, is “committed to bringing BlizzCon back in 2023,” Blizzard boss Mike Ybarra told the Los Angeles Times.
“We previously announced that we are taking a break from BlizzCon as we rethink it for the future, but we want to return to a live event that will allow us to celebrate the community,” said Ybarra. “We recently hired a new BlizzCon leader, April McKee, who is working hard on that plan. … We are committed to bringing BlizzCon back in 2023.”
It is not clear when the event could take place and Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company last hosted an in-person BlizzCon in November 2019, but the 2020 and 2021 iterations were canceled due to COVID-19. Although it hosted a virtual “BlizzConline” event in 2021, the planned 2022 version of that event was interrupted after allegations about the company’s toxic work culture came to light last year.
BlizzCon isn’t the only major gaming event returning next year. E3 didn’t take place at all in June, but the Entertainment Software Association plans to bring it back as a physical and digital event in 2023† Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest also returns with a digital and in-person event, sparking a potential clash of summer game conferences.