What you need to know
- BlizzCon is moving online in early 2021 due to the pandemic and will be called BlizzConline (catchy).
- The virtual convention will take place on Feb. 19-20, 2021.
- It'll feature many of the same events it had at the normal convention, including cosplay contests, a March of the Murlocs, and more.
It was previously announced that BlizzCon 2020 was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and would possibly be moving to an online event that would "channel the BlizzCon spirit." On Monday, potential con-goers got more details about what that might mean.
In a blog post, Blizzard asked fans to "save the date" for BlizzConline, which is set to take place from Feb. 19-20, 2021. It won't be a full replacement for the event, but the company plans for it to be a way to get people to interact online instead of in person.
The company is still planning the online event, but already announced some things to watch out for. For example, there will be a cosplay exhibition (pets included this time) and contest for people who like to dress up. There will also be an art contest, a digital storytelling contest, and a talent spotlight. The deadline to apply for all of these is Jan. 4, 2021.
The most interesting part of this announcement is arguably the return of the March of Murlocs. It's been a tradition at past BlizzCons to have people dress up as murlocs and march through the convention halls. We're not sure how it'll play out online, but Blizzard is aksing for your submissions if you're interested.
It's not surprising that Blizzard would be planning a virtual version of its convention. Many companies that usually held in-person events had to go online this year, including GDC and PAX. While E3 was also canceled, many companies held online announcements for upcoming titles. Even Sony and Microsoft made their huge console announcements online.
Many of these conventions tried different ways to get people to interact beyond just watching announcements or panels. PAX Online, for example, had a ton of demos while GDC offered virtual chat rooms for people to network.
We'll learn more about what BlizzConline has to offer in the coming months.
