Yes, Jaina, There IS a BlizzCon This Year!
Blizzard Entertainment announced this week that there will indeed be a BlizzCon 2013. After taking a break from the convention last year, which disappointed and angered many World of Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft players, Blizzard will once again have the weekend celebration of their popular gaming franchises. The event will be November 8th and 9th, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA.
From Blizzard’s official press release:
- “BlizzCon gives us a chance to connect with our players and share our latest projects in a very personal way,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Members from all of our gaming communities have helped make this event bigger and better every time, and we look forward to meeting up and celebrating with them in November.”
There are no concrete details yet on this year’s event other than the date and location. Ticket prices and purchasing information will be available soon, and for those who want to go ahead and try to book a hotel in advance, you should visit this webpage to get the special rate being offered by some area hotels. It looks like nightly rates run anywhere from $94 to $205 depending on the location, with most in the $100-$130 range.
In previous years, there have been panels covering multiple aspects of all three games, including upcoming expansions, art and music, and gameplay and class balance, and this is one of the most popular aspects of the event, giving live attendees the chance to not only get information about these games, but also ask questions of the panelists.
Another popular aspect of the event has been the costume contest, and believe me, there are some extremely talented designers in the Blizzard player community. This and other community contests have not been announced, but hopefully they will be a part of this year’s convention. There could also be a closing concert, as has happened in previous years. Personally, I’d love to see Video Games Live return to the BlizzCon stage and entertain us with live performances of the in-game music. While current rock artists are great, I think this would be a more fitting way to end the event, with a celebration of the outstanding music that has been created to enhance these worlds.
BlizzCon would not be complete without live gaming tournaments, and I’m sure this year will be no exception. We will likely see the global finals for Blizzard eSports, as well as possibly other tournaments for Warcraft and StarCraft.
There has also not been any word on if there will be a DirecTV tie-in this year, or any form of online streaming. Hopefully, Blizzard will once again partner with DirecTV to help bring this event to those who cannot attend in person. In addition to getting to see many of the panels and other events, I have enjoyed the interviews and other features that have been part of the DirecTV coverage in previous years. Alternate “attendance” methods can also allow for friends or guilds who cannot be in Anaheim to gather and enjoy this event with others, either live or virtually.
As Blizzard releases more information on BlizzCon 2013, we will be posting updates here. Thanks, Blizzard, for bringing back BlizzCon!
Jill Rayburn
Jill Rayburn is a professional fan writer and devoted World of Warcraft player. She lives in Radcliff, KY with her husband, Dennis, and their three cats.
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