With continuing COVID-19 regulations affecting the ability to gather in large crowds, BlizzCon 2021 is joining more and more industry shows in a move from live event to digital showcase. While the tradition of attending big events like E3 and Gamescom is something many fans of gaming are likely missing this year, opening those events up to the public in the form of digital shows has positive implications for the community as a whole. Many more fans will be able to watch BlizzCon 2021 this year than in years past, and that might overall be a good thing.
Big industry events like BlizzCon and E3 were often attended by industry insiders and fans with the means to afford the ticket price and time away from work to enjoy those events, naturally excluding several gamers. These events were fun for those in attendance, often accompanied by large-scale celebrations of gaming in general (and some of the best cosplays), but truly only for those in attendance. Those events opening up to the public as digital showcases means that more fans have access to new information and allows for publishers to focus on what matters most, the games themselves.
Big events like E3 are reported to be joining the move to digital showcases alongside BlizzCon 2021. Historically one of the biggest events in gaming each, E3 joining the bandwagon would likely have a powerful impact on whether other shows will follow suit. Blizzard has announced that BlizzCon will be free for fans this year, and that in and of itself is something unique. Typically, these showcases come with rather steep ticket prices or are private industry affairs. As the COVID-19 regulations continue to limit crowd size, many organizations are deeming it the right move to debut digitally and open to the public.
BlizzCon 2021 recently announced its schedule and will feature new information about Diablo 4, Overwatch 2, and more of its biggest properties. This is big news because it means that fans who normally wouldn’t have been able to attend such an event in the pass will be receiving new info at the same time as industry insiders and the press alike. While the digital showcase is likely to feature as much aplomb as possible given the new nature of the show, it will be interesting to see if the publisher decides this will be a more effective way to debut new information in the future.
Some events are still choosing to delay until it is possible to safely gather large crowds again, but are likely keeping a close eye on those that choose to go digital. Something can be said about creating a direct channel to fans, and BlizzCon will be an important litmus test about the efficacy of a purely digital event. Especially given that BlizzCon 2021 will be free, more people than ever before will be able to “attend” the event.
With the future of live events still in a COVID-19 inspired state of limbo, BlizzCon is going to be important for more than just debuting new information about Blizzard’s upcoming titles. How E3 follows suit will be a big indicator of where the industry is choosing to move given the circumstances, but fans may be looking at a future where more companies follow the examples of Blizzard, Capcom (with its recent digital event), and Nintendo which has been doing online showcases in the form of the Nintendo Direct for a while now. But allowing for more visibility for these events is almost assuredly good news for the fans.
BlizzCon 2021 will be free for viewers from Feb. 19-20, 2021.
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