Blizzard today announced the details for Blizzcon 2008, including dates and locations, but a snippet of text buried in their announcement begs the question of whether Starcraft 2 will be playable at the show.
First, the known, factual information: Blizzcon will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, on October 10 and 11. Admission will be $100 per person.
The event has expanded from two convention halls to three.
Blizzcon 2008 will include both competitive and casual tournaments, as well as areas and activities devoted to licensed products such as the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. There will be costume, machinima and character sound-alike contests, as well as commemorative merchandise based on the Blizzard Entertainment franchises (World of Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft) and a silent auction.
Now, the speculation: Starcraft 2 could very well be playable at the show, perhaps in tournament form.
You see, Blizzard said this morning that Blizzcon 2008 will include “hands-on play time with upcoming Blizzard Entertainment releases,” and we highly doubt it’s just expansions. The announcement also said the event will have “more exciting activities to be announced.”
In trade show language, that often means the organizers aren’t entirely sure what the lineup will include, so the “more activities” is a catch-all. But with Blizzard, we have a sneaking suspicion they know darn well what they’re talking about, and that it could include Starcraft 2 gameplay. Now, a Starcraft 2 “activity”? That sounds like a tournament to us.
Again, this is all speculation, but with anticipation for Starcraft 2 running high, and with Blizzcon 2008 being Blizzard’s chance to show off its wares to its most hardcore fans, the chance for this to be true isn’t necessarily all that far off.
