Blizzard's typically annual celebration of its games, products, and services, both new, old, and upcoming, has been put on indefinite hold. Following difficulties hosting the event in 2020 due to Covid restrictions, and now those same problems in 2021 along with issues surrounding Blizzard's internal management structure, bullying, and sexual harassment, Blizzcon 2022 has now been put on indefinite hold, with no idea given about when the show may return, if ever.
Blizzard hasn't dealt particularly well with the ongoing protests and lawsuits affecting the company, which allege that multiple employees were harassed over many years while working for the company. It has chosen to ignore it completely in the wake of this announcement, at least directly, but it did allude to the difficulties it was facing, citing in its ‘Reimagining Blizzcon’, statement that "whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible."
Blizzard instead suggested that gamers could continue to look forward to new games, and that it would be putting its "energy" into "supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences," instead.
"You’ll continue hearing about those through our franchise channels, with the talented people on the BlizzCon team playing a part in supporting these efforts," Blizzard said.
None of this is particularly surprising considering the problems Blizzard has been facing in recent months, but it's a shame for fans of its most prominent games. Would you like to see Blizzcon return?