Blizzard Entertainment, which is known for franchises like Overwatch, Diablo, and World of Warcraft had decided to skip this year’s Gamescom 2019. The company said in a statement that it will not attend the show in Cologne, Germany.
Gamescom is the biggest videogame trade show in the world. It drew in 370,000 visitors last year, compared to just over 69,000 for E3. Despite that, Blizzard has decided to skip it as a “renewed effort to maintain focus on development.”
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 adds in the statement that it is eager to talk about upcoming, unannounced projects “when the time is right.”
We’re also looking forward to sharing more details about the projects we’re currently working on when the time is right.
The news comes just days after the company announced a bigger presence for BlizzCon 2019. The company has a lot more activities planned for the event. Last year, Blizzard was undergoing cost-cutting measures to prepare the company for a lean 2019. Skipping Gamescom altogether could be because of such decisions, as operating a booth at a major show like Gamescom does not come cheap. In terms of saving costs, it makes sense to drop out of such an event.
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