Opinion: BlizzCon's Future Is Questionable | MMORPG.com

System

Opinion: BlizzCon's Future Is Questionable | MMORPG.com

As we look ahead to the rest of 2024, one thing feels less certain: the future of BlzzCon. Robin gives her thoughts on why the future of the yearly Blizzard celebration could be up in the air moving forward.

Read the full story here

toljar

For me 2023 really sucked. The Warcraft hall having Rumble, Hearthstone and the DMF cluttered into it was horrible. The OW arena was always barren, the Diablo spot was actually pretty sweet, but it felt like more people attended Blizzcon for the WoW stuff (wonder why?). Honestly, if they choose to do another one, I hope they use the numbers from last year and actually do a decent layout, because 2023 was a nightmare and I would not wish 2024, if there is one, on anyone.

Kyleran

Err, you know those layoffs recently announced over at Blizzard?  How much you want to bet some if not most of the party planners were given the boot?

ValdemarJ

And nothing of value would be lost... for me personally.

These PR hype conventions along with the fansite bandwagon have been a net negative with the hobby for me. I'm not sad to them go.

Angrakhan

However, scrapping BlizzCon would be a huge mistake.

Would it? I mean Blizzard has squandered a lot of its PR good will capital with its string of scandals and product missteps over the last 5 years. Now that Microsoft owns them, I promise they are going to sit down and have a very frank conversation about marketing dollars out versus sales dollars in and how much revenue can actually be attributed to BlizzCon. At the end of the day if you can't directly justify what must be a pretty huge annual expense with some bottom line ROI for that expense someone needs to ask the question of why are they doing it? If they're going to scrap it, now is the perfect time.

v_Ve

IMO, thinking there wont be a Blizzcon moving moving is needless fearmongering. Blizzcon2023 was not only my first Blizzcon; but was my first ever con, and i had a blast! I literally went by myself, and made like 7-8 friends, some of those being devs from the Warcraft Rumble team and Blizzards first ever intern.

I'm extremely doubtful that Blizzcon is over. Just thinking that is crazy to me right now lol.

Neoyoshi

I think people need to move on, remember and love what they did in the past, but don't hold out for a future for this company, because Blizzard is gone.

ValdemarJ

I don't think Blizzard is over or gone. I think con culture of old is gone and newer stuff will take its place. Fan conventions aren't going away.

Scot

garibaldisos said:

make blizzard great again!

I am still trying to work out if you re an adbot but if you are a real person...

Welcome to the forums!

Scot

I don't see why MS does not incorporate Blizzcon into a "MS Big Con"...hmm but maybe with a different name!

Sovrath

ValdemarJ said:

And nothing of value would be lost... for me personally.

These PR hype conventions along with the fansite bandwagon have been a net negative with the hobby for me. I'm not sad to them go.

Then you should go to one. They really bring players together and are an absolute blast.

As long as companies find value in them I’m glad they’re there.

having live discussions, meeting new people and discussing new announcements… nothing else like it.

Scot

Sovrath said:

ValdemarJ said:

And nothing of value would be lost... for me personally.

These PR hype conventions along with the fansite bandwagon have been a net negative with the hobby for me. I'm not sad to them go.

Then you should go to one. They really bring players together and are an absolute blast.

As long as companies find value in them I’m glad they’re there.

having live discussions, meeting new people and discussing new announcements… nothing else like it.

It does add a huge amount to feeling part of a community but I think live events have struggled for years and that will go on, everything we are seeing suggests a continued downturn.

Sovrath

Scot said:

Sovrath said:

ValdemarJ said:

And nothing of value would be lost... for me personally.

These PR hype conventions along with the fansite bandwagon have been a net negative with the hobby for me. I'm not sad to them go.

Then you should go to one. They really bring players together and are an absolute blast.

As long as companies find value in them I’m glad they’re there.

having live discussions, meeting new people and discussing new announcements… nothing else like it.

It does add a huge amount to feeling part of a community but I think live events have struggled for years and that will go on, everything we are seeing suggests a continued downturn.

Yeah but part of that was Covid. 

As an example gencon broke attendance records in 2023.

I don’t know comparisons for pax east but 100k in 2023 isn’t bad.

ignGor

Scot said:

I don't see why MS does not incorporate Blizzcon into a "MS Big Con"...hmm but maybe with a different name!

That sounds like an utterly bad idea. If you think that has any chance of flying with the Blizzard fanbase, then you don't know the Blizzard fanbase. Anything with the Microsoft stamp while trying to push Blizzard games isn't going to end well

Arlee

Scot said:

I don't see why MS does not incorporate Blizzcon into a "MS Big Con"...hmm but maybe with a different name!

I think that's the most likely thing, honestly, which really wouldn't fit what BlizzCon was. I've always enjoyed the PAX conventions because they bring so many different types of gamers together. However, walking around BlizzCon always had a very different feel. I have no doubt MS can make a compelling business case for not doing BlizzCon anymore, but the intangibles have a huge effect as well, and it would have a large impact on the Blizzard community of gamers as a whole.

Sovrath

Arlee said:

Scot said:

I don't see why MS does not incorporate Blizzcon into a "MS Big Con"...hmm but maybe with a different name!

I think that's the most likely thing, honestly, which really wouldn't fit what BlizzCon was. I've always enjoyed the PAX conventions because they bring so many different types of gamers together. However, walking around BlizzCon always had a very different feel. I have no doubt MS can make a compelling business case for not doing BlizzCon anymore, but the intangibles have a huge effect as well, and it would have a large impact on the Blizzard community of gamers as a whole.

What was the different feel?

Arlee

Sovrath said:

Arlee said:

Scot said:

I don't see why MS does not incorporate Blizzcon into a "MS Big Con"...hmm but maybe with a different name!

I think that's the most likely thing, honestly, which really wouldn't fit what BlizzCon was. I've always enjoyed the PAX conventions because they bring so many different types of gamers together. However, walking around BlizzCon always had a very different feel. I have no doubt MS can make a compelling business case for not doing BlizzCon anymore, but the intangibles have a huge effect as well, and it would have a large impact on the Blizzard community of gamers as a whole.

What was the different feel?

It's hard to explain. Blizzard does have a bunch of different games, so it isn't as if everyone there was all about one game the way it is at the FFXIV Fan Fests. But, There's just a bigger sense of community overall than I have seen at PAXs. BlizzCon is more cohesive and is the best way to describe it. Part of that does have to do with there are fewer people there than at one of the PAX conventions, but that isn't it.

For example, I was never the sort of person to watch Starcraft or Overwatch tournaments, but I loved watching them in person at BlizzCon, especially Overwatch in the Arena. Random conversations with people who are part of the larger Blizzard community. There's also far more access to devs at BlizzCon for general attendees than at other conventions as well. Which, of course, has had upsides and downsides in the past.

Sovrath

Arlee said:

Sovrath said:

Arlee said:

Scot said:

I don't see why MS does not incorporate Blizzcon into a "MS Big Con"...hmm but maybe with a different name!

I think that's the most likely thing, honestly, which really wouldn't fit what BlizzCon was. I've always enjoyed the PAX conventions because they bring so many different types of gamers together. However, walking around BlizzCon always had a very different feel. I have no doubt MS can make a compelling business case for not doing BlizzCon anymore, but the intangibles have a huge effect as well, and it would have a large impact on the Blizzard community of gamers as a whole.

What was the different feel?

It's hard to explain. Blizzard does have a bunch of different games, so it isn't as if everyone there was all about one game the way it is at the FFXIV Fan Fests. But, There's just a bigger sense of community overall than I have seen at PAXs. BlizzCon is more cohesive and is the best way to describe it. Part of that does have to do with there are fewer people there than at one of the PAX conventions, but that isn't it.

For example, I was never the sort of person to watch Starcraft or Overwatch tournaments, but I loved watching them in person at BlizzCon, especially Overwatch in the Arena. Random conversations with people who are part of the larger Blizzard community. There's also far more access to devs at BlizzCon for general attendees than at other conventions as well. Which, of course, has had upsides and downsides in the past.

That’s great. It was a positive experience then. Wasn’t sure how you felt about it.

Scot

Arlee said:

It's hard to explain. Blizzard does have a bunch of different games, so it isn't as if everyone there was all about one game the way it is at the FFXIV Fan Fests. But, There's just a bigger sense of community overall than I have seen at PAXs. BlizzCon is more cohesive and is the best way to describe it. Part of that does have to do with there are fewer people there than at one of the PAX conventions, but that isn't it.

For example, I was never the sort of person to watch Starcraft or Overwatch tournaments, but I loved watching them in person at BlizzCon, especially Overwatch in the Arena. Random conversations with people who are part of the larger Blizzard community. There's also far more access to devs at BlizzCon for general attendees than at other conventions as well. Which, of course, has had upsides and downsides in the past.

"The Devs...get them!"