BlizzCon 2017 has come and gone, and with it another great round of gaming excitement. BlizzCon is one of the best parts of the year for me, not just as a fan of Blizzard but as a fan of gaming in general. BlizzCon has always felt to me like nothing else in the industry. E3, for all its glitter, is a tradeshow and is always meant to be that. BlizzCon has always felt different than that.
Whether it is discussion of Blizzard’s games or just interacting with the fans, BlizzCon has always been a standout event. It isn’t so much for the reveals, and indeed Blizzard doesn’t always do major reveals but more discussions of their games and that is appreciated. BlizzCon is an event by a company for its fans and less of a big business production the way E3 is. There is a more casual atmosphere and a friendlier nature. It isn’t the perfect event and issues do happen but they are far more rare.
But the reason BlizzCon matters the most is that it serves as an example to the rest of the industry on how a company can interact with fans and the media. The only one that comes close is QuakeCon and even QuakeCon still feels somewhat more impersonal than BlizzCon. BlizzCon feels like a fan appreciation event at times, whereas QuakeCon, as much as I love it, still feels too corporate. Just looking at BlizzCon shows how the fans are truly excited to be there in a way that is not done at other events. The sheer brilliance of BlizzCon cannot be denied and it sets an example that all other companies should follow. BlizzCon is an event that truly matters to the industry and should be treasured for what it is.
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The above was the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of ROG or its staff.