BlizzCon

BlizzCon is a Blizzard Entertainment-hosted gaming convention.

BlizzCon 2005

The first BlizzCon was held October 28–29, 2005. The Major announcement was the first World of Warcraft expansion pack, The Burning Crusade, as well as the new Horde race, the Blood Elves.

Playable demos of The Burning Crusade and StarCraft: Ghost were also available.

2006

In 2006, Blizzard had neither a BlizzCon nor a Worldwide Invitational, instead they attended the Electronics Entertainment Expo (or E3) and unveiled the new Alliance race for the Burning Crusade expansion pack, the Draenei. This was the last E3 Blizzard attended, and they have since preferred to hold their own events.

The only game that had a playable demo was the Burning Crusade, as StarCraft: Ghost had been "indefinatly postponed" by this time.

BlizzCon 2007

BlizzCon 2007 banner

On the 12th of April 2007 Blizzard announced that they would be holding a second convention this year. This convention was held on August 3, 2007. Details about the event are limited to what was included in the announcement;

Highlights for this year's BlizzCon included:

• Discussion panels with Blizzard game developers;
• Competitive and casual tournaments, including a World of Warcraft TCG tournament;
• Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes;
• Live orchestral performances of music from Blizzard games;

• And many more exciting activities.

The major announcement at the convention was the second World of Warcraft expansion pack, The Wrath of the Lich King.

Audience participation

On June 21, Blizzard Entertainment announced that the very first publicly playable demo of StarCraft II will be available at BlizzCon.

Actual Events

During the convention, the Terran race was revealed, along with aspects of the Terran campaign. A lore discussion and art discussion were held. Those attending the convention also were able to play skirmished StarCraft II matches, either multiplayer or against a computer, using either the Terran or Protoss races.

BlizzCon 2008

On May 12, 2008, Blizzard announced their third Blizzcon event gaming convention, to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on October 10 and 11. In response to the demand to accommodate more attendees, this year's event was expanded from two convention halls to three.

Highlights for this year's Blizzcon included

• Hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment releases
• Discussion panels with Blizzard Entertainment developers
• Competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents
• Areas and activities devoted to licensed products such as the World of Warcraft® Trading Card Game
• Costume, machinima, and character sound-alike contests with great prizes
• Commemorative merchandise based on the Blizzard Entertainment franchises
• A silent auction

The major announcements at the convention were the Wizard class for Diablo III and the intro cinematic for Wrath of the Lich King.

Playable demos of Wrath of the Lich King, Diablo III, featuring the new Wizard class, as well as the already existing Barbarian and Witch Doctor classes, and StarCraft II.

BlizzCon 2009

BlizzCon 2009 Banner

BlizzCon 2009 was held on August 21 and 22 in the Anaheim Convention Center. Among the events were panels on the Heroes and Monsters, Lore and Art of the Diablo series.

The Monk was also revealed during this event, along with the third World of Warcraft expansion pack, Cataclysm.

Playable demos of StarCraft II, Cataclysm and Diablo III were also available.

BlizzCon 2010

On March 25, 2010, Blizzard announced the fifth BlizzCon was going to be held October 22–23, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention center.

BlizzCon 2013

"Malthael, the Angel of Death, grows restless. Having sieged the historic city of Westmarch, he now sets his sights on a new metropolis: Anaheim, California—the great gamer haven of the West. Soon, his forces will begin their march on the hallowed halls of BlizzCon and only you, mighty Nephalem, can defend its denizens and help put a stop to the coming apocalypse."
"Are you ready?"

BlizzCon 2013 logo

At BlizzCon 2013, Diablo III players who purchase a virtual ticket will unlock the Take a Look at Banner achievement, which grants players a new Banner Pattern, Banner Sigil, Banner Shape and Banner Accent. Diablo swag includes a Reaper of Souls chain, a Diablo/Skeleton King/Butcher t-shirt, and a Diablo figure in Blizzard's Cute But Deadly range.

Diablo Features

• A look at the creation of the Reaper of Souls intro cinematic.
• A Reaper of Souls preview as the development team reveals more about the game's environments, monsters, game modes, features, and more.
• A lore Q&A for Reaper of Souls.
• A gameplay feature, with special focus on the Crusader class.
• An open Q&A about the console and PC versions of Diablo III.

BlizzCon 2014

BlizzCon 2014 will run November 7th to the 8th at the Annaheim Convention Center.

Diablo Features

The Demon Hunter, Barbarian, and Monk sets

Those who attend the event will receive a Warlords of Draenor-themed transmogrification set for each of Diablo III's 6 classes. Respective Diablo events across BlizzCon include:

• November 7: A "what's next?" panel for Diablo III, with new features and concepts being discussed (2:15-3:15PM).
• November 7: Community Corner—a chance for players to interact with designers Wyatt Cheng and Travis Day in an open discussion panel (3:30-4:45PM).
• November 8: Evolving Reaper of Souls; includes discussion about upcoming features, and a new Legendary Item will be designed with the community (12:45-1:45PM).

BlizzCon 2015

BlizzCon 2015 will be the ninth installment of Blizzard Entertainment's annual BlizzCon event. The 2015 BlizzCon will take place across November 6-7, 2015, at the Anaheim Convention Center. A pre-BlizzCon charity dinner will also be held on November 5 in support of the Children's Hospital of Orange County.

BlizzCon 2015 tickets will go on sale in two batches on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m. PT and Saturday, April 18 at 10 a.m. PT through the online event ticketing service Eventbrite, priced at $199 each (plus applicable taxes and fees). A virtual ticket will also be available, which will allow users to watch the event from home.

References

• 2007-07-05. BlizzCon forum. Battle.net Accessed 2007-07-05.