Publisher Activision Blizzard, responsible for the event this article refers to, is currently embroiled in ongoing litigation in regards to claims reporting a workplace culture that allegedly enabled acts of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination. Read our Activision Blizzard lawsuit timeline of events for ongoing coverage of the events.
Blizzard Entertainment has announced that its BlizzCononline digital event, scheduled for February 2022, has been canceled.
In a blog post on the official Blizzard website, Blizzard Entertainment stated that it has decided to "take a step back and pause on planning the previously announced BlizzConline event... This was a tough decision for all of us to make, but it’s the right one," the blog post reads.
"Any BlizzCon event takes every single one of us to make happen, an entire-company effort, fueled by our desire to share what we create with the community we care about so much," the blog post continues. "At this time, 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."
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In the post, Blizzard Entertainment also revealed that it was taking this break to "reimagine" future BlizzCon events.
"Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible," the blog post reads. "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."
Announcements and updates are still coming
While BlizzConline isn't going ahead in February 2022, Blizzard did confirm that it will still share updates and announcements on its upcoming games.
Currently, the publisher has Diablo 4, Overwatch 2 and Diablo Immortal in the works, with no firm release dates for any of those titles. Information on these games will be shared through franchise channels, according to the post, meaning we can expect Overwatch 2 news on Overwatch social and video channels, for example.
Publisher Activision Blizzard is currently embroiled in ongoing litigation in regards to claims reporting a workplace culture that allegedly enabled acts of sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination. The post doesn't specifically mention this litigation, but it's possible that this ongoing legal action may have prompted the decision to cancel the event in early 2022.
