BlizzCon 2021’s online-only convention will be free for all viewers

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that the online-only BlizzCon 2021 convention will be free for all viewers.

The yearly event was scheduled for earlier this year, but was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Since then, the company announced that the convention would be taking place in the form of an online-only event titled BlizzConline.

It’s confirmed to be running on the weekend February 19-20, 2021, and will be free to watch online for all entrants, as announced in a recent Fireside Chat video with company president, J. Allen Brack.

Previously, home viewers would have to purchase a virtual ticket to experience all the show’s elements, marking the change a first for the convention.

You can watch the full video below:

While details on the event itself are slim, fans can expect updates and announcements on many upcoming and continually supported games from the company. Both Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV were revealed during the 2019 show, but details on both projects have been scarce since their initial unveiling, suggesting the next show could bring substantial updates.

In previous years, the show has consisted not only of announcements, but also developer Q&A sessions, panels, cosplay competitions, and playable demos for attendees at the physical event. It’s unclear whether all these elements will be incorporated into the online show, however, multiple contents have already been confirmed on the event’s official site.

DC recently embraced an online-only convention style with the FanDome event, after Comic-Con was also cancelled due to coronavirus. The weekend long event introduced two new games, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League and Gotham Knights.

Blizzard Entertainment also plans to close 2020 with a substantial update to World Of Warcraft known as Shadowlands. The highly anticipated expansion arrives on November 23 and includes substantial changes.