Breakfast Topic: Gamescom vs. BlizzCon and the future of announcements

Never in a million years did I think that Blizzard would announce their flagship game, their baby, at anything other than the one place celebrating all things Blizzard: BlizzCon. World of Warcraft expansion announcements have always been at BlizzCon. But hey, times are changing, other games are rapidly rising in popularity, and Blizzard currently has a lot on their plate with the multitude of games they are offering. Soon, they won’t be able to fit everything at a single convention — which seems to have brought us to this week’s big Gamescom reveals.

Blizzard has already started to expand with a presence at other, less Blizzard-centric gatherings. We saw Hearthstone’s initial debut at PAX East, testing the waters and paving the way for other announcements. Perhaps we’ll see more announcements at other gaming expos in the future to drum up excitement. Certainly this Gamescom announcement is an unprecedented move, both in terms of an expansion announcement outside of BlizzCon and the fact that it was confirmed ahead of time. In the past, we’ve suspected expansion announcements based on timing, but Blizzard has always been purposely vague right up until they walk on stage. With six IPs to juggle, Blizzard will have to start spreading them out in order to give them their due attention, which means expanding to other venues to disseminate information.

Where do you see the future of Blizzard’s announcements? What do you expect to make its way to other conventions? What will stay at BlizzCon? Personally, while we may have an announcement here and there, I still expect the bulk and details to be revealed at BlizzCon where the games are born and the excitement is palpable in the air.