BlizzCon will be livestreamed for free this year — yes, all of it

polygon.com:

Blizzard has announced its plans for this year’s BlizzCon fan convention — the first to be held in person since 2019 — and has revealed that all of the show’s on-stage content will be livestreamed free of charge.

As announced in May, BlizzCon will return to its traditional home of the Anaheim Convention Center on Nov. 3 and 4, 2023. But it sounds as though the show will take a slightly different form to its pre-pandemic incarnation.

All the panels, which were previously spread across a number of stages throughout the convention center’s hall, will take place on the single, main stage in the BlizzCon Arena. This perhaps suggests a slightly smaller and more focused lineup of presentations than we’ve seen previously, as well as making it easier for Blizzard to make them all available to stream.

Meanwhile, the rest of the venue will be transformed into a “more experiential, [...] one-of-a-kind immersive experience, bringing attendees into the universes of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch with massive installations, art, and thematic spaces where friends can connect,” Blizzard said. Sounds lovely, even if I’m not sure if I really want to be immersed in the grimdark world of Diablo 4’s Sanctuary.

The Opening Ceremony and the traditional BlizzCon Community Night, which plays host to cosplay competitions and the like, will both take place in the BlizzCon Arena, and be simulcast online and across the venue. This year’s Opening Ceremony is bound to feature the reveal of the next World of Warcraftexpansion, as well as what’s next for Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2. It’s possible we’ll see more of mobile game Arclight Rumble and Blizzard’s untitled survival game.

The finals of the first Overwatch World Cup of the Overwatch 2 era will be