Thousands of gaming enthusiasts left the virtual world and gathered in Anaheim on Friday for the first time in four years for BlizzCon 2023.
The two-day event draws fans of Blizzard Entertainment’s many popular franchises, such as Diablo, Hearthstone, Overwatch, StarCraft and World of Warcraft, for sneak peeks at new releases and content, gameplay, panels and fan experiences.
The halls of the Anaheim Convention Center have been turned into an immersive players’ paradise with places to try games and watch top gamers compete. There are photo ops, cosplay and plenty of merch.
Launching BlizzCon on Friday was an opening ceremony that broke news on releases for several games.
The opener that packed the convention center’s arena started with remarks from Mike Ybarra, president of Blizzard Entertainment, which has long been based in nearby Irvine.
“Whether you are a hardcore or casual gamer, or if it has been a while since you picked up one of our games, we are here to show you the Blizzard we are today and the Blizzard we are becoming,” he said to the cheering crowd.
He said tens of thousands of people would be attending BlizzCon in Anaheim, and many more around the world were watching the livestreams on YouTube and Twitch. “But BlizzCon isn’t just about the latest updates from Blizzard, it is all about you. Players are at the forefront of everything we do.”
The opening event also addressed last month’s closing of the $69 billion acquisition of parent Activision Blizzard by Microsoft Corp., maker of the popular gaming console Xbox. Ybarra introduced Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, who started by telling the cheering crowd how much he’s been playing Diablo 4 recently.
“This is my first BlizzCon ever and it is great to feel the energy in the room,” he said. “You are the reason we make games, your love for these games truly is inspiring.”
Spence said Blizzard “occupies a special place in the gaming community” and the influence…
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