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BlizzCon goes online with BlizzConline in February

There will not be a physical BlizzCon in November, but Blizzard will now shift to a virtual BlizzConline in February.

Ozzie Mejia

September 21, 2020 10:50 AM

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The continuing COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the convention circuit with many live conventions canceled for the rest of 2020 and potentially beyond. This includes BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment's annual gathering that discusses all of the games under its umbrella. But while November will not get a physical BlizzCon event, the show must go on. So Blizzard is putting together a virtual gather for February called BlizzConline.

BlizzCon 2020 was officially canceled back at the end of May with Blizzard citing the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. However, BlizzConline is set to run from February 19-20, 2021, and will look to fill the void. That means news for Blizzard's various franchises, including World of Warcraft, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch. While November is an optimal time for Blizzard to make announcements for the forthcoming year, February may prove to be just as good a time to hold a convention. It would be an ideal time to show some more Diablo 4, maybe with a potential 2021 release date attached. It will also coincide with a few other dates on the Blizzard calendar, including the start of the new Overwatch League season and the start of the new Hearthstone Standard year.

Blizzard will also attempt to hold as many of its BlizzCon traditions as possible. This includes a full Cosplay Exhibition, Cosplay Contest, Art Contest, Digital Storytelling Contest, Talent Spotlight, and the traditional March of the Murlocs. All of these gatherings will take place entirely online. If you're looking to participate in any of these events from wherever you are, you can get more details on how to do that from the BlizzCon website.

If Blizzard releases any further details on BlizzConline, we'll be sure to report about them here. Likewise, we'll be here to report on whatever comes out of the event. Stay tuned to Shacknews for all of the latest from Blizzard and this upcoming virtual extravaganza.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?