Summary
For the first time in over 15 years,World of Warcraftwon’t be having a live Q&A panel at BlizzCon. While it plans on having a Q&A after the convention,World of Warcraftis breaking tradition in a big way by not having a Q&A live at BlizzCon this year.
Every year since its third convention in 2008,World of Warcrafthas had a live question and answer panel during BlizzCon. Over the years, these panels gave players some memorable moments and lore drops, such as the legendary query of Ian “The Red Shirt Guy” Bates thatbecame immortalized inWorld of Warcraftitself.
However, this year,World of Warcraftwill not be holding a Q&A panel at BlizzCon itself. Instead, players will be able to submit questions in-person during BlizzCon, or on the forums, starting on November 3. Some time after,World of Warcraftwill share a Q&A video answering some of these questions, but it will not be a live panel like before. It didn’t give a timeframe on when to expect the Q&A video, but players will learn more some time afterBlizzard reveals what’s next for its franchisesat BlizzCon.
There could be any number of reasonsWorld of Warcraftmade this decision. All of Blizzard’s Q&A segments are vetted, but many believe this measure could be pre-emptive damage control, as this is the first live BlizzCon Q&A since the sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuits emerged a couple of years ago. What’s more, its lastWorld of WarcraftQ&A panel duringBlizzCon in 2019 was interrupted by a protester on behalf of Hong Kong, so it is almost certainly seeking to avoid similar scandals surrounding the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East right now.
Fans are understandably disappointed to learnWorld of Warcraftisn’t doing a live Q&A. Some believe it could be a sign that Blizzard is afraid to interact directly with its audience after the sweeping changesBlizzard has undergone between the Microsoft aquisitionand general restructuring. Many also assume the questions Blizzard chooses to answer during its upcoming Q&A video will be softball questions, rather than the ones they would want answered.
Nevertheless,Warcraftstill has a lot to show off at BlizzCon this year. A new expansion for retail is likely going to be announced there, as well as whatever is coming next forClassic WoW, not to mention exciting news fromHearthstoneand the launch ofWarcraft Rumble. Even without a Q&A segment, fans of theWarcraftfranchise won’t want to miss BlizzCon 2023.
World of Warcraft: Dragonflight
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World of Warcraft: Dragonflight was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the ninth expansion pack for the iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft.Dragonflight features an overhauled user interface, raises the level cap to 70, and introduces a new race and class.
