Blizzard will hold a virtual Blizzcon next year

Activision Blizzard has announced that they will be hosting a virtual version of Blizzcon early next year to replace this year’s cancelled event.

Blizzard made the announcement during its quarterly earnings call, though the company has yet to reveal exactly when they are planning to hold the virtual Blizzcon.

Blizzard canceled this year’s live Blizzcon event in late May due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Blizzcon Executive Producer Saralyn Smith notably broached the idea of a virtual event to replace the canceled convention back then.

“We’re talking about how we might be able to channel the BlizzCon spirit and connect with you in some way online, far less impacted by the state of health and safety protocols for mass in-person gatherings,” Smith in a statement.

BlizzCon 2019, which was held from November 1-2 last year, notably hosted the Overwatch World Cup, Hearthstone Global Finals, and the Starcraft II World Championship Global Finals. Last year’s Blizzcon also saw a number of major game announcements from the company, such as Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV.

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to disrupt the gaming and esports industries. Many esports tournaments and gaming events all around the globe have either been canceled, postponed, or shifted online in response to the scale and dire effects of the virus.

Check out our list here to see every gaming and esports event that has been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.