Blizzard Entertainment has their own annual fan connection every November with BlizzCon. BlizzCon 2017 takes place this weekend in Anaheim, California. The hour-long opening ceremony will be streamed freely today (11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern). If you want to watch any of the other panels or events, you’ll need to purchase a Virtual Ticket ($39.99).
“The community is the heart of Blizzard’s games, and BlizzCon is our favorite way to connect directly with our players and geek out over the things we’re passionate about,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and co-founder. “We’ve worked hard to make this our biggest and best BlizzCon yet, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone this Friday.”
This year BlizzCon will feature four stages, including stages devoted to Overwatch and Hearthstone tournaments. For the first time all four stages will be streamed live for ticket holders. Several pre-taped videos are available to watch for free; ticket holders can watch over 40 behind-the-scenes and promotional videos.
BlizzCon has gradually been evolving into an eSports arena, particularly since the launch of online multiplayer shooter Overwatch last year. Throughout both days BlizzCon will feature tournaments for Hearthstone, Overwatch, Starcraft II, Heroes of the Storm, and World of Warcraft.
The Overwatch tournament will feature the World Cup Finals. On Saturday evening Blizzard will officially kick off the much-touted Overwatch League.
Panels include discussions from Blizzard programmers, voice actresses, animators, and writers. The main stage features several ‘What’s Next’ blocks where we expect new announcements and details regarding Hearthstone and World of Warcraft expansions, Heroes of the Storm characters, and Overwatch content. See the two-day schedule of events here.
The BlizzCon opening ceremony begins later today at 11 am Pacific/2 pm Eastern. The closing ceremony takes place Saturday, November 4 at 6:30 pm Pacific/9:30 pm Eastern and features a musical performance by Muse.
