BlizzCon is an annual
gaming convention
A gaming convention is a gathering centered on role-playing games, collectible card games, miniatures wargames, board games, video games, or other types of games. These conventions are typically two or three days long, and often held at either a u ...
held by
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, the company was founded on February 8, 1991, under the name Silicon & Synapse, Inc. by three graduat ...
to promote its major franchises including ''
Warcraft
''Warcraft'' is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of five core games: '' Warcraft: Orcs & Humans'', '' Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness'', '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos ...
'', ''
StarCraft
''StarCraft'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series, set in the beginning of the 26th century, centers on a galactic struggle for dominance am ...
'', ''
Diablo'', ''
Hearthstone
''Hearthstone'' is a free-to-play online digital collectible card game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Originally subtitled ''Heroes of Warcraft'', ''Hearthstone'' builds upon the existing lore of the ''Warcraft'' series by u ...
'', ''
Heroes of the Storm
''Heroes of the Storm'' is a crossover multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS on June 2, 2015. The game features various characters from Bli ...
,'' and ''
Overwatch
''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: ''Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fea ...
''.
The first BlizzCon was held in October 2005, and since then, all of the conventions have been held at the
Anaheim Convention Center
The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original comp ...
in
Anaheim, California
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
, in the same metropolitan area as Blizzard's headquarters in
Irvine Irvine may refer to:
Places On Earth Antarctica
*Irvine Glacier
*Mount Irvine (Antarctica)
Australia
*Irvine Island
*Mount Irvine, New South Wales
Canada
*Irvine, Alberta
* Irvine Inlet, Nunavut
United Kingdom
*Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotla ...
. The convention features game-related announcements, previews of upcoming Blizzard Entertainment games and content, Q&A sessions and panels, costume contests, and playable versions of various Blizzard games. The closing night has featured concerts by
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
,
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenacio ...
,
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
,
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
,
Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
,
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
,
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
, and
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
. A similar event was the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational, held outside the U.S. from 2004 to 2008.
Pricing
Tickets for the BlizzCon events in 2005, 2007 and 2008 were for admission to both days of activities. In 2009, the price was raised to $125. For 2010, the price was raised to $150. For 2011, the price was raised to $175 and for 2013 the price remained at $175. For 2014, the price was raised to $199 and the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner went from $500 to $750, which includes admission.
From 2015 to 2018, the prices have remained at the 2014 level.
The ticket price includes a
goody bag that contains items such as in-game prizes, beta keys for upcoming Blizzard games and exclusive Blizzard paraphernalia.
BlizzCon was not held in 2006, 2012,
The event was also cancelled in 2020 due to the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
The event was also not held in 2022, during the period which Activision Blizzard was
under legal litigation related to workplace harassment issues by federal and state agencies; Blizzard stated that instead of holding the event, they will be using the time "supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences".
BlizzCon events
2000s
2005
Attendees were able to try one of the two new playable races, the Blood Elves, for upcoming expansion based in Outland which was released as ''
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade'' in 2007. Playable demos of the single and multiplayer modes of the since canceled ''
Starcraft: Ghost'' were available. A songwriting competition was judged by
Jonathan Davis
Jonathan Howsmon Davis (born January 18, 1971), also known as JD or JDevil, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist and frontman of nu metal band Korn, who are considered a pioneering act of the ...
of
Korn
Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream.
Originally formed in 1993 ...
.
Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain, comedian
Christian Finnegan
Fletcher Christian Finnegan (born April 1, 1973), better known as Christian Finnegan, is an American stand-up comedian, writer and actor based in New York City.
Early life
Finnegan was born in Albany, New York. He grew up in Acton, Massachusett ...
, and
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guita ...
performed at the closing concert.
[ ]
2007
![BlizzCon opening ceremony](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/BlizzCon_opening_ceremony.jpg)
A pre-release version of ''
StarCraft II
''StarCraft II'' is a military science fiction video game created by Blizzard Entertainment as a sequel to the successful ''StarCraft'' video game released in 1998. Set in a fictional future, the game centers on a galactic struggle for dominance a ...
'' was available for play (the game would be released as ''
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' only in 2010), as single player or 2v2 as Terran or Protoss.
Much of the game was revealed and explained as well as Q&A with attendees. The Zerg race was, however, not unveiled at that time.
The second expansion to ''World of Warcraft'', titled ''
Wrath of the Lich King
''World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King'' is the second Expansion pack, expansion set for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) ''World of Warcraft'', following ''World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, The Burning Crus ...
'', was officially announced and it was available to play.
Comedian
Jay Mohr
Jon Ferguson "Jay" Mohr (born August 23, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and radio host. He is known for his roles as film producer Peter Dragon in the TV comedy series ''Action'', Professor Rick Payne in the TV series ''Ghost Whisperer'' (2 ...
entertained at the closing ceremony followed by Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain (who changed their name to reflect the new level cap in ''The Burning Crusade'') alongside
Video Games Live
Video Games Live (VGL) is a concert series created by Tommy Tallarico and originally founded by Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized light ...
performing at the closing concert.
2008
In the opening ceremonies, Blizzard president
Michael Morhaime
Michael "Mike" Morhaime (born November 3, 1967) is an American video game developer and entrepreneur. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of Dreamhaven, located in Irvine, California. Morhaime is best known as the co-founder and th ...
revealed the third playable class for ''Diablo III'': the Wizard, as well as the major announcement that ''Starcraft II'' would be separated into three games.
Playable versions of ''
Diablo III
''Diablo III'' is a hack-and-slash action role-playing game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment as the third installment in the Diablo (series), ''Diablo'' franchise. It was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in May 2012, Play ...
'', ''StarCraft II'', and ''
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King'' were available to test during the convention. As well, there were tournaments and competitions for the ''World of Warcraft'' Trading Card Game, ''World of Warcraft'' miniatures game, ''StarCraft'', ''StarCraft II'', ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', and ''World of Warcraft'' arena. The Zerg race was now playable in the ''StarCraft II'' demos.
BlizzCon 2008 was broadcast live on both days as a
PPV
PPV, ppv or pPv may refer to:
Technology
* Pay-per-view on cable or satellite television
* People Powered Vehicle, a human-powered vehicle from 1970
* Police Pursuit Vehicles, the most common police vehicles in the United States and Canada
Scienc ...
event on
DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...
for US viewers only, for eight hours per day in high definition. Official Blizzard fansite WoW Radio broadcast live audio via
SHOUTcast.
For the closing ceremonies on Saturday, comedians Kyle Kinane and
Patton Oswalt
Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
performed. The closing concert was performed by Video Games Live, playing arrangements from all of the Blizzard games, and a performance including the ''Wrath of the Lich King'' music.
2009
image:Blizzcon conv center.jpg, Blizzcon 2009 at the
Anaheim Convention Center
The Anaheim Convention Center is a major convention center in Anaheim, California and is the largest exhibition facility on the West Coast of the United States. It is located across from the Disneyland Resort on Katella Avenue. The original comp ...
In an attempt to reduce frustrations linked to lack of ticket availability for previous BlizzCons, there were four halls (increased from three) of space available. Blizzard implemented a new system designed to make buying tickets easier. The new system implemented an online queue, effectively creating an organized online "line" for anyone who wants to purchase tickets, an improvement on 2008's chaotic sale of tickets.
As in 2008,
DirecTV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...
carried both days of BlizzCon 2009 as a PPV event ($39.95 for both days) for eight hours per day in both standard and high definition. All BlizzCon 2009 Pay Per View event purchasers received an exclusive "Grunty the Murloc Marine" ''
World of Warcraft
''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...
'' in-game pet. and had access to the online stream for no additional cost. New in 2009, BlizzCon was broadcast live via an internet stream, calling it a "Virtual Ticket". The site covered both days of the convention featuring exclusive interviews and commentary, main stage presentations including the opening ceremony and tournament coverage with team highlights. All purchasers received an exclusive "Grunty the Murloc Marine" ''World of Warcraft'' in-game pet.
The third expansion, ''
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm'' was announced. ''Diablo III'', ''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' were available to play.
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
performed for the closing concert.
2010s
2010
The fifth playable ''Diablo III'' class was revealed to be the Demon Hunter and the ''StarCraft II'' modification called "Blizzard DotA" was presented, which later evolved into ''
Heroes of the Storm
''Heroes of the Storm'' is a crossover multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS on June 2, 2015. The game features various characters from Bli ...
''. ''Diablo III'', ''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' and ''World of Warcraft: Cataclysm'' were playable.
![Tenacious D at BlizzCon](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Tenacious_D_at_BlizzCon.JPG)
Similar to 2009, BlizzCon 2010 was available live via an online broadcast on the "BlizzCon Virtual Ticket". The Virtual Ticket provided four live feeds from the convention floor, offering 50+ hours of HD BlizzCon programming. DirecTV again offered both days of BlizzCon 2010 as a PPV event (US$39.95 for both days) for ten hours per day in both standard and high definition.
Korean pro-gamer MVP_Genius won the StarCraft II BlizzCon Invitational The vinyl record ''
Revolution Overdrive: Songs of Liberty'' was released for the event.
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "tenacio ...
(
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob Black (born August 28, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, and musician. He is known for his acting roles in the films '' High Fidelity'' (2000), ''Shallow Hal'' (2001), ''Orange County'' (2002), '' School of Rock'' (2003), ''E ...
/
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of—Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...
) played for the closing concert with
Dave Grohl
David Eric Grohl (born January 14, 1969) is an American musician. He is the founder of the rock band Foo Fighters, in which he is the lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Prior to forming Foo Fighters, he was the drummer of gru ...
. Recordings of the event were released for free as part of the
Live Music Archive
The Live Music Archive (LMA), part of the Internet Archive, is an ad-free collection of over 170,000 concert recordings in Lossless data compression, lossless audio formats. The songs are also downloadable or playable in lossy formats such as Vo ...
.
2011
The opening ceremony showcased a new ''
Diablo III
''Diablo III'' is a hack-and-slash action role-playing game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment as the third installment in the Diablo (series), ''Diablo'' franchise. It was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X in May 2012, Play ...
'' cinematic trailer titled "The Black Soulstone", a ''
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm'' reveal trailer showcasing new units and abilities, a "
Blizzard DOTA" trailer for a new game made from ''
StarCraft II
''StarCraft II'' is a military science fiction video game created by Blizzard Entertainment as a sequel to the successful ''StarCraft'' video game released in 1998. Set in a fictional future, the game centers on a galactic struggle for dominance a ...
'' and the reveal of ''
World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria'', a new expansion for ''
World of Warcraft
''World of Warcraft'' (''WoW'') is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released in 2004 by Blizzard Entertainment. Set in the ''Warcraft'' fantasy universe, ''World of Warcraft'' takes place within the world of Azeroth ...
''. ''Diablo III'', ''
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm'', and ''World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria'' were playable. DirecTV once again offered both days of BlizzCon 2011 as a PPV event.
The
GOMTV Global Starcraft II League
Global StarCraft II League (GSL) is a '' StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void'' tournament hosted by afreecaTV and Blizzard Entertainment in South Korea. This event is broadcast up to 2 nights a week. GOMeXp (formerly GOMTV) had hosted it until the ...
October final match took place in Anaheim alongside BlizzCon. Moon "MMA" Sung Won beat Jeong "Mvp" Jong Hyeon, 4–1.
The closing concert featured a performance from Blizzard's own in-house band, The Artist Formerly Known as Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftains (TAFKL80ETC), who changed their name mid-concert to Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftains (L90ETC). The
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
performed for the closing concert.
2013
Blizzcon 2013 was announced to be held on November 8 and 9 in Anaheim.
The tickets were sold in two batches, on April 24 and 27, 2013, and both batches quickly sold out. Blizzard also sold special tickets that include access to a pre-Blizzcon Benefit Dinner. These limited tickets cost $500 each, with all money collected from the pre-Blizzcon Benefit Dinner being donated to Children's Hospital of Orange County, CA. Blizzard once again sold a Virtual Ticket for live online streaming of all of the events in BlizzCon 2013.
The ''Heroes of the Storm'' "Cinematic Trailer" was presented with an alpha version of the game available for playing. ''Hearthstone's was announced to begin beta testing and that the game would be released on iOS and Android. The fifth expansion to ''World of Warcraft'', ''Warlords of Draenor'', was officially announced and a trailer was shown. The ''Warcraft'' film concept art was shown. ''
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls'' was announced to be released on PC and
PS4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in E ...
.
The gaming events included the finals of the 2013 ''
StarCraft II
''StarCraft II'' is a military science fiction video game created by Blizzard Entertainment as a sequel to the successful ''StarCraft'' video game released in 1998. Set in a fictional future, the game centers on a galactic struggle for dominance a ...
''
World Championship Series as well as the Hearthstone Innkeeper's Invitational, a ''
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft'' tournament featuring a handful of prominent
Twitch
Twitch may refer to:
Biology
* Muscle contraction
** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation
** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction
** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...
streamers. The StarCraft II competition was won by
Kim "sOs" Yoo-jin, ''World of Warcraft'' arena was won by team Skill-Capped and ''Hearthstone'' was won by
Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski.
The closing concert was performed by
Blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their ...
.
2014
![Life BlizzCon 2014 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Life_BlizzCon_2014_2.jpg)
The tickets went on sale May 7 and 10, 2014. In addition, a limited number of tickets went on sale May 15 for $750 with proceeds benefiting Children's Hospital of Orange County, this included admission. For 2014, tickets were sold via
Eventbrite
Eventbrite is an American event management and ticketing website. The service allows users to browse, create, and promote local events. The service charges a fee to event organizers in exchange for online ticketing services, unless the event is f ...
instead of the Blizzard Store.
Blizzard once again sold a Virtual Ticket for live online streaming of all of the events.
''
Overwatch
''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: ''Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fea ...
'', a new class-based multi-player
shooter
Shooting is the act or process of discharging a projectile from a ranged weapon (such as a gun, Bow and arrow, bow, crossbow, slingshot, or Blowgun, blowpipe). Even the acts of launching Flamethrower, flame, artillery, Dart (missile), darts, ha ...
, was announced on November 7, 2014. The third part of ''Starcraft II'', ''
Legacy of the Void
''StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void'' is a standalone expansion pack to the military science fiction real-time strategy game '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'', and the third and final part of the ''StarCraft II'' trilogy developed by Blizzard En ...
'' was announced. The first expansion pack for ''
Hearthstone
''Hearthstone'' is a free-to-play online digital collectible card game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Originally subtitled ''Heroes of Warcraft'', ''Hearthstone'' builds upon the existing lore of the ''Warcraft'' series by u ...
'', ''Goblins vs. Gnomes'', was also announced on the same day. The first Hearthstone World Championship was hosted at the event.
The 2014
StarCraft II World Championship Series
The ''StarCraft II'' World Championship Series (WCS) was a ''StarCraft II'' professional tournament series organized and sanctioned by Blizzard Entertainment that ran from 2012 to 2019. For all but its first year of operation, it was the highest ...
Global Finals was won by
Lee "Life" Seung Hyun beating Mun "MMA" Seong Won. The ''World of Warcraft'' championship was won by team Bleached Bones. ''Hearthstone'' was won by James "Firebat" Kostesich and first official tournament in ''Heroes of the Storm'' was held at the event that was won by team Cloud 9.
The closing ceremony concert was opened by Level 90 Elite Tauren Chieftains (changed their name during the show to Elite Tauren Chieftains) and closed by
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
.
2015
![Illidan Costume](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Illidan_Costume.JPG)
The tickets went on sale on April 15 and 18 using Eventbrite, and were sold out nearly instantly. Blizzard once again sold a Virtual Ticket for live online streaming of all of the events held at BlizzCon. The convention's online broadcast was watched by over 10 million people.
''Hearthstones third adventure, ''League of Explorers'', was announced on November 6, 2015, which was later released on November 12. Overwatch was announced to have a Q2 2016 release date, later confirmed for May 24. The expansion ''
World of Warcraft: Legion'' released its cinematic trailer and announced a release date on or before September 21, 2016 and was playable. The
Warcraft (film)
''Warcraft'' (alternatively known as ''Warcraft: The Beginning'') is a 2016 American action film, action fantasy film based on the video game series Warcraft, of the same name. Directed by Duncan Jones and written by Charles Leavitt and Jones, ...
released its first official trailer and revealed its release date of June 10, 2016. ''StarCraft II'' was announced to have upcoming single player mission packs, ''
Nova Covert Ops
''StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops'' is a downloadable content (DLC) single-player mission pack for the military science fiction real-time strategy game series ''StarCraft II''. Consisting of nine missions, it was released over the course of three i ...
'', which each consist of three missions.
The
2015 Heroes of the Storm World Championship
The 2015 ''Heroes of the Storm World'' Championship was first annual world championship for ''Heroes of the Storm'', and was held at BlizzCon from October 28 to November 7, 2015. Cloud9
Cloud9 Esports, Inc., or simply Cloud9 (C9), is an Amer ...
and the second Hearthstone World Championship were hosted at the event. ''Hearthstone'' was won by Sebastian "Ostkaka" Engwall and ''Heroes of the Storm'' was won by team Cloud 9 again. The 2015
StarCraft II World Championship Series
The ''StarCraft II'' World Championship Series (WCS) was a ''StarCraft II'' professional tournament series organized and sanctioned by Blizzard Entertainment that ran from 2012 to 2019. For all but its first year of operation, it was the highest ...
Global Finals was won by
Kim "sOs" Yoo-jin beating last year's winner Lee "Life" Seung Hyun and becoming the first two-time StarCraft II World Championship Series world champion. The ''World of Warcraft'' arena team championship was won by SK Gaming.
The closing concert was performed by
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
.
2016
BlizzCon 2016, also known as BlizzCon X, was the tenth BlizzCon event. Its tickets were sold on April 20 and 23 using the ticketing service Universe. Blizzard offered a Virtual Ticket for live online streaming of all of the
esports
Esports, short for electronic sports, is a form of competition using video games. Esports often takes the form of organized, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Although orga ...
events and major panels, remaining at the $39.99 price. Other panels and interviews in smaller rooms were not included for streaming.
In September 2016, Blizzard Entertainment released a sneak peek at the BlizzCon 2016 in-game item rewards and offered for the first time the "goody bag", normally only for physical attendees, was offered for sale to virtual ticket holders.
The fourth expansion for ''Hearthstone'', ''Mean Streets of Gadgetzan'', was announced on November 4, 2016, and was later released on December 1, 2016.
''Overwatch'' officially announced the hero Sombra, Blizzard announced the creation of an official esports league for Overwatch. It was announced that ''Diablo III'' would include a remake of ''Diablo'' and the necromancer hero class would be added in a
DLC.
BlizzCon 2016: Overwatch's Sombra revealed, Diablo returns, Hearthstone's Gadgetzan, and more PC World Retrieved November 4, 2016
The gaming events at BlizzCon 2016 included the 2016
StarCraft II World Championship Series
The ''StarCraft II'' World Championship Series (WCS) was a ''StarCraft II'' professional tournament series organized and sanctioned by Blizzard Entertainment that ran from 2012 to 2019. For all but its first year of operation, it was the highest ...
Global Finals won by Byun "ByuN" Hyun Woo, the ''World of Warcraft'' arena championship, the ''Hearthstone'' third world championship, the ''Heroes of the Storm'' fall championship, and the
Overwatch World Cup 2016, ''Overwatch'' World Cup.
Kristian Nairn
Kristian Nairn (born 25 November 1975) is an actor and DJ from Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He is best known for his portrayal of Hodor in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones''. More recently, he has played Wee John Feeney on the HBO Max seri ...
, who played
Hodor
George R. R. Martin's ''A Song of Ice and Fire'' saga features a large cast of characters. The series follows three interwoven plotlines: a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families; the rising threat of the superhuman Others beyon ...
on the
HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
series ''
Game of Thrones
''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the first ...
'', was the DJ during Blizzard's 25th anniversary party. The closing ceremony concert was performed by
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, actor and author. He is best known for creating comedy songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specifi ...
.
2017
![BlizzCon 2017](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/BlizzCon_2017.jpg)
On March 14, Blizzard Entertainment announced that BlizzCon 2017 would be held on November 3 and 4, with tickets being available to purchase on April 5 and 8 using the ticketing service Universe. A third round of tickets were sold on July 5 due to the convention center adding a new hall. The prices for both admission and the benefit dinner remained at $199 and $750 respectively. On September 13, 2017, Virtual Tickets began being sold; this ticket included a faction-specific flying mount in World of Warcraft, and other special items in the various Blizzard games.
Blizzcon 2017 had a record number of more than 35,000 attendees due to a recently completed expansion of the Anaheim Convention Center.
The gaming announcements included that the next expansion to ''World of Warcraft'' would be ''
Battle for Azeroth
''World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth'' is the seventh expansion pack for the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) ''World of Warcraft'', following ''World of Warcraft: Legion, Legion''. It was announced at BlizzCon on Nove ...
'', there would be official ''World of Warcraft'' Classic servers, a new hero for ''
Overwatch
''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: ''Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fea ...
'' named
Moira was added as well as a new map called "Blizzard World", ''
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty''s first campaign, multiplayer and other modes of the game are now free,
and ''
Hearthstone
''Hearthstone'' is a free-to-play online digital collectible card game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Originally subtitled ''Heroes of Warcraft'', ''Hearthstone'' builds upon the existing lore of the ''Warcraft'' series by u ...
s next expansion would be "Kobolds and Catacombs" and that it would be released in December 2017.
The esports events at BlizzCon 2017 included the 2017
StarCraft II World Championship Series
The ''StarCraft II'' World Championship Series (WCS) was a ''StarCraft II'' professional tournament series organized and sanctioned by Blizzard Entertainment that ran from 2012 to 2019. For all but its first year of operation, it was the highest ...
Global Finals won by Lee "Rogue" Byung Ryul, the ''World of Warcraft'' arena championship won by ABC, the ''Hearthstone'' Inn-vitational won by the Grimestreet Grifters, the ''Heroes of the Storm'' HGC Finals won by MVP Black, the
''Overwatch'' World Cup won by South Korea for the second time, and ''
StarCraft: Remastered'' Ultimate Title Fight won by Bisu.
The closing concert was performed by
Muse
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the ...
.
2018
Blizzard Entertainment announced that BlizzCon 2018 would be held on November 2 and 3 at the Anaheim Convention Center, with tickets being available to purchase from Universe.com on May 9 and 12. A third round of tickets went on sale on August 18.
The price for admission remained at $199 while a virtual ticket option was offered for $49.99.
The announcements on the first day included ''
Warcraft III: Reforged'', a remaster of ''
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' and its expansion, ''
The Frozen Throne
''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne '' is the expansion pack for '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'', a real-time strategy video game by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released worldwide on July 1, 2003, for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. ''The F ...
'', with a release sometime in 2019; Ashe, a new Western-themed hero for ''
Overwatch
''Overwatch'' is a multimedia franchise centered on a series of online multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) video games developed by Blizzard Entertainment: ''Overwatch'' released in 2016, and ''Overwatch 2'' released in 2022. Both games fea ...
''; Orphea, daughter of the Raven Lord, the first original character for ''
Heroes of the Storm
''Heroes of the Storm'' is a crossover multiplayer online battle arena video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS on June 2, 2015. The game features various characters from Bli ...
'', who will be given free to attendees and Virtual Ticket holders; the ''Rastakhan's Rumble'' expansion for ''
Hearthstone
''Hearthstone'' is a free-to-play online digital collectible card game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Originally subtitled ''Heroes of Warcraft'', ''Hearthstone'' builds upon the existing lore of the ''Warcraft'' series by u ...
''; ''World of Warcraft Classic'', which had a playable demo available for both attendees and Virtual Ticket holders, will be released in the middle of 2019, and will be included in the regular ''World of Warcraft'' subscription; and ''
Diablo: Immortal'', an
action role-playing game
An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre.
Definition
The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...
for mobile devices. The announcement of ''
Diablo: Immortal'' was poorly received by attendees and Blizzard fans across the board, resulting in a high number of dislikes on the YouTube gameplay and cinematic trailers, and considerable criticism from gaming journalists, streamers, and the YouTube community.
The esports events at BlizzCon 2018 included the StarCraft II World Championship Series Global Finals won by
Joona "Serral" Sotala, the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship won by Method Orange, the World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon Invitational All-Stars won by Free Marsy, the Hearthstone Global Games won by the China team, the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship won by
Gen.G
Gen.G Esports ( ko, 젠지), previously known as KSV Esports, is a professional esports organization with headquarters in Santa Monica, Seoul, and Shanghai. According to Forbes, Gen.G is the sixth most valuable esports organization in the world a ...
, and the
Overwatch World Cup
The Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) is an annual international ''Overwatch'' esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer, with the first edition taking place in 2016. The tournament ran every year until 2019; after a t ...
won by South Korea for its third time.
Closing festivities included three simultaneous concerts by
Train
In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...
,
Kristian Nairn
Kristian Nairn (born 25 November 1975) is an actor and DJ from Lisburn, Northern Ireland. He is best known for his portrayal of Hodor in the HBO fantasy series ''Game of Thrones''. More recently, he has played Wee John Feeney on the HBO Max seri ...
, and
Lindsey Stirling
Lindsey Stirling (born September 21, 1986) is an American violinist, songwriter, and dancer. She presents choreographed violin performances, in live and music videos found on her official YouTube channel, which she created in 2007.
Stirling pe ...
.
2019
Blizzard Entertainment announced that BlizzCon 2019 would be held on November 1 and 2 at the Anaheim Convention Center, with tickets being available to purchase from AXS.com on May 4 and 8.
In lieu of the traditional "goodie bag," convention attendees will be able to choose between an orc grunt or human footman statue to commemorate 25 years of Warcraft.
The price for admission was raised to $229, with a "Portal Pass" option being available for $550.
This new Portal Pass offers several perks, such as early access to the Darkmoon Faire, access to an exclusive lounge with concessions and the opportunity to meet Blizzard employees and esports pros, separate registration lanes, separate security lanes, and early access to the convention center.
The gaming announcements included that
Diablo IV
''Diablo IV'' is an upcoming action role-playing game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment, and is the fourth main installment in the '' Diablo'' series. The game was announced on November 1, 2019 at BlizzCon 2019, and is scheduled ...
is under development,
Overwatch 2
''Overwatch 2'' is a 2022 first-person shooter by Blizzard Entertainment. As a sequel to the 2016 hero shooter ''Overwatch'', the game intends a shared environment for player-versus-player (PvP) modes while introducing persistent cooperative m ...
was confirmed, a World of Warcraft expansion called
Shadowlands will be out in 2020, and the Hearthstone expansion ''Descent of Dragons'' and a new game mode called Battlegrounds will be released in December 2019.
The esports events at BlizzCon 2019 included the
Overwatch World Cup
The Overwatch World Cup (OWWC) is an annual international ''Overwatch'' esports tournament organized by Blizzard Entertainment, the game's developer, with the first edition taking place in 2016. The tournament ran every year until 2019; after a t ...
that was won by the United States, StarCraft II WCS Global Finals won by Park "Dark" Ryung Woo, the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship won by Method Black, and the World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon International won by Method EU, and the Hearthstone Grandmasters Global Finals won by VKLiooon, the first female to win Grandmasters in that game.
Closing festivities included three simultaneous concerts by
The Glitch Mob
The Glitch Mob is an American electronic music trio from Los Angeles, California. It consists of edIT (Edward Ma), Boreta (Justin Boreta) and Ooah (Josh Mayer). Chris Martins of ''LA Weekly'' noted that they "have undoubtedly found the largest a ...
,
Haywyre
Martin Sebastian Vogt (born August 8, 1992), better known by his stage name Haywyre, is a Grammy nominated American electronic music producer, pianist, and performer. He is known for fusing elements of classical, jazz and funk into various genre ...
, and
Fitz and the Tantrums
Fitz and the Tantrums are an American indie pop and neo soul band from Los Angeles, California, that formed in 2008. The band consists of Michael Fitzpatrick (lead vocals), Noelle Scaggs (co-lead vocals and percussion), James King (saxophone, ...
(the last concert was viewable for attendees only).
2020s
2020
In April 2020, Blizzard announced that they were still working on plans for the next Blizzcon, noting that it may occur in some other form or be cancelled entirely due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. In May 2020, Blizzard confirmed they will not hold the physical event, but was considering some online replacement which would not likely occur until early 2021.
2021
On September 21, 2020, Blizzard announced that the
virtual event
Virtual may refer to:
* Virtual (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse
* Virtual channel, a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel (or range of frequencies) on which the signal travels
* Virtual function, a programming ...
BlizzConline would be held from February 19–20, 2021. It featured the unveilings of ''
Diablo II: Resurrected'' and the remastered version of ''The Burning Crusade'' expansion for ''
World of Warcraft Classic
''World of Warcraft Classic'' is a 2019 MMORPG video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. Running alongside the main version of the game, ''Classic'' recreates ''World of Warcraft'' in the state it was in before the release ...
'', and further details on ''
Overwatch 2
''Overwatch 2'' is a 2022 first-person shooter by Blizzard Entertainment. As a sequel to the 2016 hero shooter ''Overwatch'', the game intends a shared environment for player-versus-player (PvP) modes while introducing persistent cooperative m ...
'' and ''Diablo Immortal''.
In May 2021, Blizzard announced that BlizzCon as an in-person event would be cancelled once again due to COVID-19, as the "ongoing complexities and uncertainties of the pandemic" made it impossible to organize an event at the required scale for its traditional November scheduling. Blizzard stated that there were plans for a "global event" with online components and "smaller in-person gatherings" to be held in early 2022.
2022
On October 26, 2021, amid, but without specifically mentioning
ongoing litigation against the company over its workplace culture and treatment of female employees, Blizzard announced that the previously announced "global event" had been "paused", and that it would "take the time to reimagine what a BlizzCon event of the future could look like."
Blizzard WorldWide Invitational
Blizzard WorldWide Invitationals were events similar to BlizzCon held outside the United States.
References
External links
*
*
{{Hearthstone
Video game trade shows
Blizzard Entertainment
Recurring events established in 2005
Gaming conventions
StarCraft competitions
2005 establishments in California
StarCraft II competitions