"This decision was not taken lightly"

Blizzard Entertainment has canceled this year's fan convention BlizzCon, which was expected to be held in Anaheim, California in November. The company, now owned by Microsoft, announced the cancellation on Thursday, but promised to bring back the event "in the future."

"After careful consideration over the past year, we at Blizzard have made the decision not to hold BlizzCon in 2024," Blizzard wrote on its website. "This decision was not made lightly as BlizzCon remains a very special event for all of us, and we know many of you are looking forward to it. Although we are approaching this year in a different way and as we have explored different event formats past, rest assured that we're as excited as ever to bring back BlizzCon for years to come.”

Instead, Blizzard expects to announce details of its upcoming games – such as World of Warcraft: The War Within and Diablo 4's Vessel of Hatred expansion – later this year, on its own and at "other industry trade shows" such as Gamescom, which is scheduled to August 21 to August 24 in Cologne, Germany. Overwatch 2 esports is still on the schedule for Dreamhack Dallas and Dreamhack Stockholm, Blizzard wrote, while in-person World of Warcraft events will be held for the game's 30th anniversary. "While these events are different from BlizzCon, we use all of our creativity and imagination to ensure they carry the same spirit of celebration and togetherness," Blizzard said.