In case you missed it, BlizzCon is back for its 13th year.
According to the press release:
“BlizzCon 2019 will feature a wide range of attractions and activities for attendees, including in-depth developer panels, world-class esports competition, and opportunities for community creativity to shine in the spotlight. In addition, BlizzCon is expanding to include more active hall space at the convention center as well as the new “BlizzCon Pregame Festivities”—a fun and casual get-together running outside of the convention center on the day before the show.”
Just as it has been in previous years, the event that celebrates all things Blizzard will host all the major esports events. This includes the Hearthstone Global Finals, the Overwatch World Cup, the StarCraft II World Championship Series, the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship Finals and the new World of Warcraft Mythic Dungeon International. Sadly, there will be an HGC-size whole in our hearts this year, as the Heroes of the Storm esports scene was shut down last year.
There are some things to note that could be good or bad changes depending on who you ask.
New BlizzCon Pass Option
In the last 12 BlizzCons, ticket buyers only had two options to buy tickets, either you got into the online ticket line as fast as you could when tickets went on sale, or you purchase the Benefit Dinner tickets. Well, now there is a third option: the BlizzCon Portal Pass. This is a new ticket option offers a variety of perks including:
- Access to the Darkmoon Faire during the “night at the Faire” event the Thursday before BlizzCon (Yes, that’s Halloween)
- An option to be among the first to enter the show on Friday and Saturday
- Preferred parking
- Separate registration and security lines
- A dedicated lounge
Ticket buyers will still have the option to buy the basic BlizzCon Pass that will give you access to the 2-day event as well as the BlizzCon Pregame Festivities. There will also be the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner pass that will give attendees an opportunity to meet and greet the Blizzard staff. It will also give ticket buyers the same perks as the Portal Pass and all proceeds will go to CHOC Children’s in Orange County.
Blizzard is also going with a new ticketing vendor, AXS. AXS has a “waiting room” feature which allows people to sign in 30 minutes before the tickets go officially on sale and once tickets go on sale, anyone in the waiting will be randomly selected to buy tickets.
According to the event information page, you will have about the same chance of getting tickets via the “waiting room” option as you would signing on right when the sale starts. You will also need to have the AXS app on your phone in order to get into the show.
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Ticket Sale Dates and Pricing
The first wave of ticket sales will be on Saturday, May 4, at 10am PST and the second wave will be on Wednesday, May 8 at 7pm PST.
Tickets for the event will be $229 for the BlizzCon Pass, $550 for the BlizzCon Portal Pass, and $750 for the BlizzCon Benefit Dinner.
BlizzCon Commemorative Statue
Attendees and virtual ticket buyers will receive a BlizzCon Goody Bag. The Goody Bag will include in-game awards which will be announced at a later time. To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Warcraft, there will be two commemorative statues to choose from: an Orc Grunt or a Human Footman. When buying tickets you will have to make your choice at the time of purchase, but you will be able to buy the other statue at the Blizzard Store.
More information regarding BlizzCon 2019 will be released as we get closer to the event. It will be interesting to see what these pre-BlizzCon events will be and what the Closing Ceremony will entail. With the growing popularity of the Darkmoon Faire hall, it would only make sense that this area will expand again this year. As for the Closing Ceremony, it is anyone’s guess.
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