I grew up playing Blizzard games. In elementary school, I played StarCraft, and in middle and high school, I played Diablo. In college, I got hooked on World of Warcraft, and right around the time I started working as a journalist, Overwatch came out. To me, Blizzard was never a name light enough to pass off as just another game studio.
It was hard to imagine an internet cafe without Blizzard games. There was a time when I believed that with Battle.net alone, I could play every game I ever wanted. Looking back now, I wonder how I could have been so enamored with a single developer, but back then, Blizzard loomed that large and grand to me.
Heading to my very first BlizzCon after more than a decade in journalism, my expectations were naturally high. I still remember the roaring cheers when StarCraft II was first unveiled, and when Diablo III made its debut. I’ve never forgotten the shock when Overwatch’s first trailer was revealed, either. This was my chance to personally experience the atmosphere of Blizzard’s new game reveals, which I had only ever watched through videos. I wanted to feel those cheers in person.
When I arrived at BlizzCon, what surprised me first was the fans. Starting Friday, the day before the opening, a long line stretched out just to pick up admission passes. For a convention hosted by a single company dedicated entirely to its own titles, so many people had gathered a day early just to get their badges in advance. It hit me all over again just how many people love Blizzard.
The line to purchase merchandise stretched long around the convention center building. People who could have left after picking up their badges were waiting all over again to buy gear. Thinking it might quiet down in the evening, I went back, but even as 9 PM approached, crowds still lingered around the venue. No particular events were even taking place in the areas I checked out. And yet, people stayed.
Seeing people fill the convention center even at that late hour made me think what a remarkable company Blizzard was. But then a senior colleague who had covered BlizzCon multiple times shared an unexpected perspective. Compared to the past, they said, this wasn’t even that crowded. In previous years, finding parking was so difficult that driving into Anaheim was hard enough on its own.
With this many people here, this was considered a decline? As a first-timer, I couldn’t easily fathom it. While I was marveling at the crowd before my eyes, my senior colleague was remembering a BlizzCon that drew vastly larger throngs of fans.
Yet the more I explored the event, the harder it became for me to remain purely optimistic about BlizzCon’s future. I could deeply feel the passion of the fans who came today. What weighed on my mind were the fans who would come here in the years ahead.
As I walked around the venue, children were hard to spot. Adult attendees dominated the floor, and even among the cosplayers, most were adults. It felt strongly like a gathering of people who, like me, had grown up playing Blizzard games and still loved them.
My thoughts might have been different if I had seen many children in cosplay coming hand-in-hand with their parents. That way, I could picture children loving the games their parents loved, growing up, and eventually returning to BlizzCon themselves. But I didn’t see enough of those moments. Even if current fans keep returning, I couldn’t help asking myself, «What comes after that?»
Even the new game announcements failed to build enough excitement to soothe those worries. Diablo V was revealed, and StarCraft returned as a shooter. On paper, these were thrilling announcements. But on the floor, the reaction didn’t feel as passionate as expected. I felt the same way. It was undeniably exciting news, yet the feeling didn’t well up from deep within.
«Diablo V,» «a new StarCraft.» Ten years ago, flashing just the names and logos would have brought down the roof at the Anaheim Convention Center. But if this moment felt less dramatic than before, it was because circumstances had changed, I had changed, and Blizzard had changed too.
Above all, the news was simply too far off. Release windows were announced for Spring 2029 and Spring 2030, respectively. Although Diablo V shared concepts for its world, classes, and systems, what hit me hardest wasn’t what kind of game I would eventually play, but the reality that we have to wait several more years.
In today’s climate, waiting three to four years is no small ask. For several years now, layoffs have swept through the games industry. Nor does a blockbuster from a major studio guarantee success. This year alone, I’ve read news of multiple AAA titles being canceled.
Blizzard was no exception. They too went through turbulent times. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, announced in 2022, closed in 2023. In 2024, layoffs impacted multiple departments, including development teams. On top of that, everyone is now worrying about how AI will reshape jobs. Neither those who make games nor those aspiring to do so can look ahead to the next few years with peace of mind.
Seeing games that won’t come out for years announced this early left me with mixed feelings. The Diablo V dev team explained that they wanted to hear fan feedback early and incorporate it into development. But to me, it almost sounded like a plea to Microsoft not to lay them off so they could actually finish making the game. To watch an announcement asking fans to wait for a new game, only to worry first whether they’ll even be able to finish it…
Of course, I’m not immune to job insecurity either. I don’t know if I’ll still be working as a journalist by the time the games Blizzard promised actually come out. When neither the creators nor the players waiting for them can be certain of their own situations a few years down the line, how can anyone be blindly thrilled by launch announcements set in the distant future?
Blizzard is likely doing the best it can. Making sequels to games that so many fans already love and inviting them back into familiar worlds is a skill Blizzard has honed for decades. Besides, considering the massive losses if a game fails, I understand why taking new risks isn’t easy. Even so, simply holding onto existing fans won’t secure Blizzard’s future.
Current fans will continue to come to BlizzCon. They will play games, buy merch, dress up as their favorite characters, and talk about the games they enjoyed together in the past. The affection I witnessed firsthand from the fans was that deep.
However, if it remains solely a gathering for existing fans without drawing in new ones, BlizzCon will inevitably fade away as those fans age and drift off one by one.
I don’t believe Blizzard needs to fully reclaim its former dominance. Even I now open Steam more often than Battle.net when I turn on my PC. I’m that far removed from the days when I believed one company’s games were all I needed. They say ten years can change a landscape, and enough time has passed for that landscape to change several times over. Not every game needs to be a Blizzard game like back then. But today’s kids still need a reason to fall in love with Blizzard.
Fans going wild over a new game, children dressed as favorite characters holding their parents’ hands—if I had seen more of those sights at this BlizzCon, I might have believed this festival would carry on for a long time to come. Giving current fans a reason to wait for the next game, and giving non-fans a reason to start playing for the first time—I believe that, ultimately, is what Blizzard must deliver.
My first visit to BlizzCon was intense, nostalgic, and a little sad. The joy of visiting a place I had wanted to go at least once in my lifetime was unmistakable. Yet I never expected that while standing there, I would find myself thinking BlizzCon might not last forever. Seeing so many fans show up, I still couldn’t help thinking that, if things continue like this, it could all end someday.
That is why the time bought by the fans is so precious. As long as they keep returning, Blizzard gains the chance to make its next games and welcome new fans. It shouldn’t stop at merely reconfirming how loyal the current fanbase is. While those fans wait, Blizzard must invite the next generation in.
I hope today’s kids build memories of their own playing Blizzard games and eventually visit BlizzCon for the first time. I hope Blizzard becomes a company that endures for another ten years, and another ten after that. Then I too can hold onto the hope of attending BlizzCon again—with a bit of luck, as a journalist, or if not, as a fan.
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