BlizzCon is about to return in 2023 after three years with out an in-person occasion.
That is in accordance with Blizzard president Mike Ybarra who informed the LA Instances the agency needs to return to a stay occasion.
“We beforehand introduced we’re taking a pause on BlizzCon whereas we reimagine it for the long run however do wish to return to a stay occasion that allows us to have fun the group,” mentioned Ybarra (thanks, GI.biz).
“We lately employed a brand new chief of BlizzCon, April McKee, who is difficult at work on that plan. We’re dedicated to bringing again BlizzCon in 2023.”
The final in-person BlizzCon was held in 2019 and went digital in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid pandemic. Plans for the 2022 model of BlizzCon, each in-person and on-line, have been fully scrapped because of the present points the corporate is going through. On the time, Blizzard mentioned as a substitute of planning BlizzCon, it needed to place its power towards supporting its groups and progressing the event of its video games and experiences.
Activision Blizzard has confronted varied authorized points for the reason that California Division of Truthful Employment and Housing introduced a lawsuit in opposition to it over reviews of selling a “bro-culture,” a number of accounts of sexual harassment, bullying, unfair pay, and situations of gender discrimination.
Ybarra informed the LA Instances Blizzard’s had a “robust two and a half years,” and the lawsuit and subsequent public fallout “impacted morale” on the firm. That mentioned, the studio is dedicated to altering its tradition.
“We’re listening to our staff, mentioned Ybarra. “I’ve all the time firmly believed that when there’s a superb tradition throughout groups, artistic excellence flows.”