BlizzCon: Ежегодная выставка Blizzard Entertainment

Annual gaming convention by Blizzard Entertainment

BlizzCon is an annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to promote its major franchises including Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch. The first BlizzCon was held in October 2005, and since then, all of the conventions have been held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, in the same metropolitan area as Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine. 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 Ceremony has featured concerts by The Offspring, Tenacious D, Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne, Blink 182, Metallica, Linkin Park, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and Muse. Blizzard also hosted a similar event outside the U. S. from 2004 to 2008, the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational.

General admission tickets are considered to be the baseline experience for BlizzCon. It grants access to all of the panels on both days, ability to playtest new games, patches, expansions, etc. and ability to view as well as order exclusive Blizzard merchandise online before the convention. Since its inception in 2005, the prices have changed drastically as its scope and number attendees have grown with it. For BlizzCon 2005, tickets were set at $120 USD. For BlizzCon 2007 & 2008, the price was decreased by $20 to $100 USD. For BlizzCon 2009, the price was increased by $25 to $125. For BlizzCon 2010, the price was increased by another $25 to $150. For BlizzCon 2011 & 2013, the price was increased by another $25 to $175. For BlizzCon 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018, the price was increased by another $24 to $199. For BlizzCon 2019, the price was increased by $30 to $229. For BlizzCon 2023, the price was increased by $70 to $299. Each general admission ticket includes a goody bag that has contained items such as beta keys for upcoming Blizzard games, exclusive Blizzard paraphernalia and in game prizes. The in game prizes have ranged from pets, transmog & mounts in World of Warcraft & Heroes of the Storm, exclusive card backs for Hearthstone, heroes for Heroes of the Storm, cosmetic wings & pets for Diablo III, skins for Overwatch, and portraits, unit skins & console skins for Starcraft: Remastered & Starcraft II.

Beginning with BlizzCon 2019, the Portal Pass was added as an additional ticket option; effectively replacing the Benefit Dinner option with BlizzCon 2023. It is considered an upgrade over the General Admission ticket as it added several additional benefits. It cost $550 for BlizzCon 2019. This price was increased by $229 to $799 with BlizzCon 2023. It granted additional access to:
The event was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID 19 pandemic. A virtual event called BlizzConline was held in February 2021. BlizzCon 2022 was to be held in a modified format with virtual programming and "smaller, in person gatherings". It was again cancelled in October 2021 in order to prioritize "supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences", and to provide time to "reinvent" the event to be "safe, welcoming, and inclusive as possible". This cancellation came amid an employee discrimination lawsuit against parent company Activision Blizzard in the state of California. BlizzCon 2024 was cancelled in April 2024, with no reason given.

YearDatesNumber of attendees (approx. )Closing CeremoniesTicket Price (USD)Portal Pass Price (USD)Virtual Ticket Price (USD)2005October 28–29The Offspring, Christian Finnegan, L60ETC100N/AN/A2006 Not held2007August 3–413,000Video Games Live, Jay Mohr, L70ETC100N/AN/A2008October 10–11Video Games Live, Patton Oswalt, Kyle Kinane, L70ETC100N/AN/A2009August 21–22Ozzy Osbourne125N/A39.952010October 22–23Tenacious D, Dave Grohl150N/A39.992011October 21–22Foo Fighters, TAFKL80ETC/L90ETC175N/A39.992012 Not held2013November 8–9Blink 182175N/A39.992014November 7–8Metallica, L90ETC/Elite Tauren Chieftains199N/A39.992015November 6–7Linkin Park199N/A39.992016November 4–5+"Weird Al" Yankovic199N/A39.992017November 3–4+Muse199N/A39.992018November 2–3+Train, Lindsey Stirling, Kristian Nairn199N/A49.992019November 1–2Fitz and the Tantrums, The Glitch Mob, Haywyre22955049.992020 Not held2021February 19–20Online OnlyKristian Nairn, Metallica, MamamooFreeN/A19.99/39.99/59.99 Celebration Collection2022 Not held2023November 3–4LE SSERAFIM299799Free Live Stream (29.99/49.99 BlizzCon Collection Packs)2024Not held

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 of Korn. Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftain, comedian Christian Finnegan, and The Offspring performed at the closing concert.

A pre release version of StarCraft II 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, was officially announced and it was available to play. Comedian Jay Mohr 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 performing at the closing concert.

In the opening ceremonies, Blizzard president Michael Morhaime 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, 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 event on DirecTV 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 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.

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 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 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 performed for the closing concert.

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. Diablo III, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm were playable. 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 (Jack Black/Kyle Gass) played for the closing concert with Dave Grohl. Recordings of the event were released for free as part of the Live Music Archive.

The opening ceremony showcased a new Diablo III 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 and the reveal of World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, a new expansion for World of Warcraft. 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 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 performed for the closing concert.

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. 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 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, Xbox One and PS4. The gaming events included the finals of the 2013 StarCraft II World Championship Series as well as the Hearthstone Innkeeper's Invitational, a Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft tournament featuring a handful of prominent Twitch 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.

The tickets went on sale May 7 and 10, 2014. For 2014, tickets were sold via Eventbrite instead of the Blizzard Store. The third part of Starcraft II, Legacy of the Void was announced. The first expansion pack for Hearthstone, 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 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.

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."

In May 2023, Blizzard announced that BlizzCon will be held on November 3 and 4 at the Anaheim Convention Center. On June 29, 2023, Blizzard announced several new changes to BlizzCon but did confirm that tickets would be sold once more thru AXS. com in two waves. The first wave would be sold on Saturday July 8, 2023 at 10 AM PDT while the second wave would be sold on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at 10 AM PDT. A new restriction was placed that attendees could only purchase a maximum of two tickets per transaction. This is down from four tickets per transaction for BlizzCon 2019. Additionally, they included a Mature warning for some content at BlizzCon. Therefore children under the age of 7 would not be permitted to enter and anyone under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult. They further announced that BlizzCon 2023 will be live stream for free. The Virtual Ticket will be a purely optional purchase and still contain several in game goodies for various Blizzard games. Further changes being made to BlizzCon include: the Opening Ceremony seating will now be a random draw system since it will take place in the smaller BlizzCon Arena. In addition, all panels and Community Night events will also take place in the BlizzCon Arena and sitting will be available on a first come, first served basis. All events that take place in the BlizzCon Arena will be simulcast around screens at BlizzCon. They state that this is in an attempt to being a one of a kind immersive experience throughout the venue. Hall E of the Anaheim Convention Center was also not used, it was historically dedicated to the Blizzcon Store and merchandise pick up, as well as hosting the costume contest. It was moved to the bottom half of the North Hall.