Blizzard – which remains embroiled in a messy legal battle following the State of California’s lawsuit alleging sexual discrimination, harassment, and a “frat boy” culture at the company – has announced it will “pause” next year’s BlizzConline as it looks to “reimagine” the event.
BlizzConline – which debuted this February as a digital-only replacement for Blizzard’s annual BlizzCon live event in response to the coronavirus pandemic – was due to return “early” in 2022 after the company opted to cancel BlizzCon for a second year running back in May.
Now however, Blizzard has announced it’s made the “tough decision” to “take a step back and pause on planning” of next year’s BlizzConline. “At this time,” the company explained in a statement, “we feel the energy it would take to put on a show like this is best directed towards supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences.”
“Additionally, we would also like to take the time to reimagine what a BlizzCon event of the future could look like. The first BlizzCon was held 16 years ago, and so much has changed in the time since,” the statement continued. “Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible. We’re committed to continual communication with our players, and we see BlizzCon playing a big role in that going forward. We’re excited about what we’ll do with the event when we revisit it in the future.”