Game announcements will still roll out, though
Blizzard Entertainment has announced it won’t be hosting a BlizzConline event early next year any more. The company has said it will be putting that energy into supporting its teams and progressing development of its games instead.
This news arrives as Activision Blizzard has been at the center of several investigations following a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, alleging discrimination and a toxic workplace culture. Employees have organized letters and a walkout. Several Blizzard members have already departed the company, including top-level leadership like J. Allen Brack and the former Overwatch executive producer.
Some references to Blizzard employees within its own games have also been removed following some departures. The gun-toting cowboy of Overwatch was recently renamed to Cole Cassidy as part of these revisions.
In today’s statement on BlizzConline, the company says that despite not hosting a BlizzCon event in February, it will still be making announcements and updates for its games. “We’re proud of our teams and the progress they’ve made across our games,” the statement reads. “We have a lot of exciting upcoming news and releases to share with you.”
Blizzard also says it is taking some time to “reimagine” what BlizzCon might look like in the future:
“Whatever the event looks like in the future, we also need to ensure that it feels as safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible. 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.”
