Blizzard’s BlizzCon Will Be Back in 2023, Says Its President Mike Ybarra

Blizzard BlizzCon’s comeback is planned for next year or in 2023, no less than the President of the World of Warcraft publisher, Mike Ybarra, revealed in his recent interview.

It has been a couple of years since BlizzCon had its in-person format, no thanks to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which frustratingly transformed such gaming conventions to strictly online.

But this time, the big boss of Blizzard teases that they are working to bring BlizzCon back into what it was in pre-pandemic times.

(Photo : Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
Blizzard confirmed that the BlizzCon 2022 event has been canceled. However, the company assured the community that it will still have announcements and games updates through their franchise channel.

Blizzard BlizzCon in 2023?

As per a news story by The Verge, BlizzCon in 2023 is returning to its in-person version, wherein fans of games like Diablo and World of Warcraft get to gather in a massive gaming convention.

The highly anticipated comeback of BlizzCon slipped the tongue of the Blizzard President, Ybarra, in his recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.

(Photo : Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – November 4: Guests attend BlizzCon 2017 at Anaheim Convention Center on November 3, 2017 in Anaheim, California.

The Blizzard boss himself announced that they “are committed to bringing back BlizzCon in 2023.”

Blizzard BlizzCon

On top of that, the Blizzard exec recalls that they have “previously announced we’re taking a pause on BlizzCon while we reimagine it for the future but do want to return to a live event that enables us to celebrate the community.”

The Verge notes that the renowned game publisher had to cancel the BlizzCon event last 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 situation.

(Photo : Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA – November 4: Guests test out the new World of WarCraft expansion at BlizzCon 2017 at Anaheim Convention Center on November 3, 2017 in Anaheim, California.

In 2021, the game convention made some sort of comeback, thanks to the virtual “BlizzConline” event. But this year, the whole thing got scrapped after the toxic work culture at Blizzard Activision got exposed.

Despite that, the gaming firm looks committed to moving forward. Ybarra says, “we recently hired a new leader of BlizzCon, April McKee.”

The Blizzard big boss further adds that McKee is making the much-awaited return of BlizzCon possible, saying that he is “hard at work on that plan.”

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard

According to a recent report by Games Radar, Ybarra failed to properly introduce who McKee was, as he only mentioned his name.

However, the online gaming news outlet suggests that the Blizzard boss is likely talking about April McKee, who works with Xbox.

She is the director of Xbox Experiential Marketing Communications. And as such, McKee is responsible for the massive E3 showcase of Xbox.

It is worth noting that Microsoft, which owns Xbox, is on its way to acquiring Activision Blizzard. However, the tech giant is currently grappling with a bunch of regulatory approvals before it becomes official.