“There was definitely a turning point when we didn’t have the huge stages at BlizzCon with a lot of people in front of us, but creating a show that could also be consumed online was something we felt we had a lot of experience with,” says Saralyn Smith, Executive Producer of BlizzCon, explains that the company behind the event, Activision’s Blizzard Entertainment, has been broadcasting the events that take place at BlizzCon for years.
The event is free for viewers and attendees and will include cosplay and digital storytelling segments in addition to a host of other activities. “We localize selected content in up to 12 languages, so we really hope we can get a very broad reach as we focus entirely on the online audience,” said Smith.
Ultimately, the goal is to capture the key elements of BlizzCon, which Smith explains is known for “getting the latest and greatest news about Blizzard’s games.” The revamped event will also emphasize “make a moment” for the entire gaming community by providing a platform for gamers to share their talents.
“We took a really good look at what SAG is doing in Hollywood for various productions,” said Smith of transforming the traditional convention into a digital celebration. This meant that anyone who came to the Blizzard campus or was sent to a local studio to tape segments for the event had to undergo two COVID-19 tests beforehand, as well as follow “rigorous zoning protocols.” Some segments that were initially planned to be recorded on campus were later modified so that they “don’t interact with other people,” says Smith.
“Community is at the heart of Blizzard games and we really love putting players first as a mindset and I hope BlizzCon supports that too,” she added. “We are really thinking about building the show with them and so the community showcase is basically our translation of what is otherwise on the traditional BlizzCon community night, and this is a time for cosplay competitions and also exhibitions, for people who don’t want to participate, but really like the craft of cosplay. “
Much of the production processes are similar to producing a personal show, Smith says, explaining that event organizers had the “ added complexity ” of figuring out where certain segments could be filmed because they couldn’t access it. Anaheim Convention Center.
Smith and her team also had to get creative about programming the event without any personal attendees. “We know we have the Blizzard campus and we thought we could do some segments in a local studio – these are environments that we knew we could monitor and had some pretty strict COVID security protocols – but everything depended on what happened in Orange County at the time of restrictions. ”she says.
To produce the event, Blizzard sent broadcast kits to developers’ homes so they could set up remotely. Sometimes that caused minor problems. “We had to re-film a few times,” says Smith. “There were lessons there. You have someone who might not be a technical expert in setting everything up, or they take a break and the mic wouldn’t turn back on and we’d lose all the audio so we had to learn some of that.
While COVID-19 has forced most workers to work remotely, Smith says the gaming industry has an edge in that environment. “I feel like because many of us are gamers, it may not have been as disruptive as it was for some other people in different industries,” she says. “We’re all pretty tech savvy – we miss the water cooler and some personal stuff, but other than that, I’m still optimistic we’ll hit all of our timelines as we set them out.”
BlizzConline kicks off with an opening ceremony. On the second day there is a Q&A where visitors can answer their questions. The event website will feature additional content such as downloadable Zoom wallpapers or cooking recipes inspired by the various World of Warcraft spell. “You’re going to see a mix on the show; there’s a little bit on campus, a little bit on mobile studios, and then a little bit more where we just tap in and see behind the curtain of Blizzard developers,” says Smith.
The event coincides with Blizzard’s 30th anniversary on February 8. “We hope many of the celebrations culminate on our show, and we have some features with original collaborators from 30 years ago,” she says.
As Smith looks at the next 30 years of the event, she says the goal is to reach more people: “We have large, truly global communities, and how can we somehow make more of them experience BlizzCon? So maybe BlizzConline is a big part of how we keep doing that. ”