After 20 years, what next for World of Warcraft?
By Andrew Rogers
World of Warcraft is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, but it’s just cancelled its biggest party.
Fans of the online game have gathered in Anaheim, California, every year since 2005 for BlizzCon.
The convention was a place to meet fellow fans of the series, dress up in your best cosplay and get a first look at what was coming next in the huge fantasy world of Azeroth.
But game maker Activision Blizzard has announced it’s called off the 2024 edition of the popular event.
It’s assured disappointed fans that the event will return in future, but hasn’t said when, and promised a series of smaller-scale events instead.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, some fans were quick to point the finger at Warcraft’s new owners, Microsoft. The tech giant bought Activision Blizzard last year for $69bn (£56bn) in the biggest acquisition in gaming history.
Among gamers there’s been speculation about what the Xbox owner might do with its newly owned titles, which also include household-name franchises Call of Duty and Candy Crush.
Most of the talk has centred around whether Microsoft would bring some of its new titles to Game Pass – its Netflix-style subscription service seen as an increasingly important part of its gaming business.
