BlizzCon seems like a disaster waiting to happen

World of Warcraft and Overwatch publisher Blizzard Entertainment is in a mess. It punished Hearthstone esports competitor Blitzchung for speaking out in support of Hong Kong protesters. It even plans to stop working with the commentators who conducted the interview. Now, Blizzard is facing a wave of criticism. And while that outrage’s is happening online, BlizzCon — the company’s fan expo — begins October 31 at the Anaheim Convention Center. And many attendees are planning to bring their anger and disappointment with them.

BlizzCon is a weekend gathering for Blizzard, its games, and the people who love them and make them. It has presentations, panels, and keynotes where the studio makes big new announcements. Traditionally, it is a big celebration, but that was less true for last year’s event. Many Blizzard fans were expecting the company to announce a new PC and console entry Diablo action role-playing series. Instead, the publisher revealed Diablo: Immortal for iOS and Android, and fans were furious. During a question-and-answer session, one fan sarcastically asked the Diablo Immortal team if they were making an offseason April Fools’ joke.