Blizzard Fashion: Rating the BlizzCon Opening Ceremonies

We know why you really tune in to BlizzCon. It’s not the exciting new games, expansions, or updates. No. What you want to see is what people are wearing. Cosplayers? Of course, they’re super fancy, but we expect that. This time, we’re turning to the Blizzard presenters.

We can’t help but notice what they have on when we’re looking at them on stage for 20 minutes. And, let me just say, some people clearly knew what we at Blizzard Watch wanted, even though we never verbalized this anywhere and only decided to write about it after the fact. And they killed it.

Read on to check out our ratings of all the presenters in the BlizzCon 2023 Opening Ceremonies.

Mike Ybarra: 4/10

I can appreciate a collared shirt, and the fact that the shirt matches the sneakers. However, black is boring. I’m sorry. With a dark stage lit by geometric blue lines, the black blends in too much with the background. Extra points for the friendship bracelet I could spot under his cuff, but unfortunately it was mostly hidden.

Phil Spencer: 4/10

Also wearing all black. Was this a dress code? The jacket had a nice, classic feel to it and the outfit seems like it would be right at home with Xbox. However, it also seemed to blend in to the stage and was not visually exciting.

Aaron Keller: 6/10

Color! Comfort! Casual! A little plain, but I appreciate the pastel pink shirt and the accessorizing with light gray. Definitely pops against the stage and goes well with the light colors in the Overwatch branding.

Dion Rogers: 6/10

Another dark outfit but at least it’s not all black. At least he switched it up with lighter jeans. He gets a pass because of all the hype he has. And I like his hat.

Soe Gschwind: 9/10

Soe, a regular fashion icon, gave us our first exciting pop of color in a smashing red and pink blocked shirt. I still maintain that the left cuff needed to be pink to complete the alternating theme. Liz liked the shirt, Red didn’t like the shirt, and thus debuted Blizzard Watch’s first official civil war.

Rod Fergusson: 8/10

Rod came to talk to us about Diablo 4, and he certainly showed it in his fashion choices. Double branded shirts! Literally branded with a Diablo tattoo! A friendship bracelet! And matching red sneakers to boot.

Tiffany Wat & Chris Wilson: 7/10

More branding! Tiffany’s light shirt paired well with her snazzy red jacket, and I loved all the bracelets she was wearing. Chris dressed in more black (no, really, was there a dress code?) but at least he spiced it up with a red shirt, and a Diablo 4 branded jacket.

John Hight: 4/10

John disappointed me. Mostly because he was wearing a jacket and jackets are only good for ripping them off to reveal a wild announcement on your shirt. Way to not have a surprise shirt, John.

I know we didn’t convey that this was necessary, but you can’t juke us like that.

Cora Georgiou: 7/10

Cora was another all-black fan. But did you see her boots?! Those boots bumped her up and make up for the all-black ensemble. I can appreciate the thematic accessorizing to go with the Hearthstone expansion, Showdown in the Badlands. Also, her dress had a nice silhouette.

Vik Saraf: 5/10

Vik! More black? Don’t let me down like this! I liked his vest-type jacket though, that counts for something.

Holly Longdale: 11/10 AMAZING

Holly is the clear winner. That coat! Her nails! The eyeshadow! So glorious. The coat evoked Alexstrasza, especially with the dragon spine design on the back. Way to be thematic! In a quote from our staff chat that perfectly describes the outfit: “Holly looked at her closet and said GO BIG OR GO HOME.” I want her coat so badly.

Chris Metzen: 6/10

Chris also apparently decided to abide by the all-black dress code, but he kicked it up a notch by making sure it represented the company he rejoined. Branding gets you some extra points around here because it’s thematic — but not enough.

Honorable Mention

Cory and Flan, our ground team: 10/10

Blizzard Watch branding and Taco Cat. What more can we say?

And there completes our first ever BlizzCon Fashion rating. Do you agree with our completely subjective and probably biased ratings? Any standout outfits or accessories that you noticed? Let us know!