What are your thoughts on the return of BlizzCon next year?

I’ll be 100% honest: I thought BlizzCon was dead. I was already feeling pessimistic after the layoffs in early 2024 and its subsequent cancellation during a major Warcraft anniversary made me think it would never happen again. If Blizzard wasn’t able to bring everyone together for the 30th Anniversary of the franchise and the 20th Anniversary of World of Warcraft, what hope could I expect to have for future years?

Well I’m glad to have been so thoroughly proven wrong as BlizzCon is back in 2026! And while 18 months is an eternity I’m eschewing my former pessimism in the hopes that BlizzCon 2026 will be an amazing show. That got me thinking though: what would make it so?

I feel like the most important thing the BlizzCon team needs to do is bring back all the smaller events and panels from the show. BlizzCon 2023 was awash in a lot of news, but it lacked the more intimate moments of earlier BlizzCons (I won’t rehash what I said at the time, if you’re interested you can see my thoughts here). It’s actually one of the reasons I’m not as upset about skipping this year for next; I’m hoping that in doing so the show can sufficiently plan for multiple stages and panels.

Also we need to make sure Chef Heidi gets her own panel.

I’m also hoping that it’s planned as an extravagant spectacle — BlizzCon 2026 needs to make a splash. Even if the plan isn’t to have them annually going forward they need to re-energize the fanbase. Though it’s a year-and-a-half away I want there to be regular updates; a “Road to BlizzCon 2026” if you will. Give us a reason to want to book tickets a year in advance, and not just because every attendee gets the thirty-first variation of a murloc pet. Hype this thing. Plan extracurricular activities and organize watch parties in major cities. It shouldn’t just be a convention; it should be a celebration.

Those are my initial thoughts about BlizzCon returning. What are yours? Were you as surprised as I was that it’s coming back? Are you ok with the delay to 2026, or are you resentful we’re not getting one in 2025? And how do you feel about it moving to September from its regular late October/early November calendar slot?