Blizzard Won't Attend Gamescom, One Of The Biggest Gaming Shows On Earth

Blizzard, the gaming giant behind franchises like World of Warcraft, Diablo, and Overwatch, will not attend Gamescom this year. The company said in a statement that it's not attending the show in Cologne, Germany as part of its "renewed effort" in 2019 to focus on game development.

Blizzard plans to return to Gamescom someday, but it's not clear when.

"As part of a renewed effort this year to maintain our focus on development, for our current games and our future projects, we won't have a booth at Gamescom 2019," Blizzard said. "The show is an important one for the European and global gaming community, and we’re going to miss meeting players in Cologne this year. You'll still be able to find Blizzard gear in the gamescom 2019 shop area, and we're looking forward to returning to the Gamescom show floor in the future."

Blizzard also teased in its statement that it is eager to talk about upcoming, unannounced projects "when the time is right."

The confirmation of Blizzard dropping out of Gamescom comes just days after the company announced a bigger presence for BlizzCon 2019. The company has even more activities planned for the event, and seemingly as a result, ticket prices are going up.

In December last year, Kotaku reported that Blizzard was undergoing cost-cutting measures to prepare for a "lean 2019." Operating a booth at a major show like Gamescom is likely no small cost, so dropping out of the show is no doubt saving Blizzard some money.

Gamescom, which is open to the public, is believed to be the world's largest gaming show. Around 370,000 people from 114 countries attended the 2018 show, according to GI.biz. By comparison, the all-time attendance record for E3 is 70,000 from back in 2005. E3 only just recently opened to the public, while Gamescom has been public for years.