[BlizzCon 2023] Feedback Megathread

General Discussion
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After letting things calm down a bit (mainly my jetlag) I figured I better give my two cents worth.

I loved the con for what it was. It had big immersive sets and was very moody and atmospheric.
But it was very lackluster. I didn’t feel like there was a lot to do other than wander around continuously because everything that was there had a crazy lineup.

I enjoyed seeing people and talking to the staff but it all felt a bit empty.

I loved the enthusiasm and passion that went into it and I can clearly see where the intention was, but sadly for me, it fell well short of the mark.

The biggest pain point for me was the Portal pass.
As an Australian, It cost me $1250 AUD.
and I really don’t see what that got me. I took a scenic tour of the convention block to end up in the same hall as my mates who had general passes, I got an orange lanyard and a few minutes early access on day 1.
The portal lounge was a neat idea, but the “demo area”…a couple of boxes, most of which didn’t work. expensive food and tiny screens everywhere.
To learn after lunch on day 2 that portal passes could have priority in lines, with no official notification was an insult to injury.
I learned at 5 pm that the portal lounge was giving out boxes upon boxes of merch for free to portal pass holders when we had already left the con…no official notification or anything…well that was just salt in the wounds.
I honestly feel both heartbroken and more devastatingly…ripped off.
This isn’t the Blizzard I know.
Up until now, it’s always been value for money. Even if the good bag was filled with cheap, goofy little stuff it would have been better than an empty bag.

It literally felt like a money grab from portal passes and left me with a feeling that not only are Portal passes suckers, we got ripped off, and worst of all…I regret my attendance.

Literally, the only thing that saved it for me this time around was one particular interaction with a Blizzard staff member and then my time with Club Titos.

I don’t have constructive feedback outside refinement. The idea is there but the refinement is needed. shorter lines, more space, more interactions with people.

You got this, I’m upset, but i still believe.

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225

It is now 22/11/2023 and after the con and I can now, somewhat articulate my feelings, to this venn diagram.

Best convention in four years. Yes, this subtle joke plays a dig at the stupidity of covid, amongst other things. Worst convention for me yet.

I have been to every one since '09 and '19 was peak performance; in terms of layout, social, community; oppurtunity. Everything. That map would make Harrison Jones PROUD.

Full props to the props attendant. Same individual day one; tagged my little fire with a zip tie with a smile. Day two, same smile. Different zip tie. When props mediation is a smooth experience; entry for cosplayers is a joy and thats if you are NOT fully intergrated. Pretty sure that the young individual was the only one; or just happened to be there for both times I entered. Seriously though; maybe 2 Dedicated prop areas? or were they not secured in the map? oh wait. the crux of the failure here; the teams responsible for planning and management; were not the ones we needed.

Props, big green tick. security, screening and actual entry to the fountain?

HUGE GREEN TICK. Why for the love of my children cant the airports and the T.S.A. have that kind of security clearance, barely had to open my bag and the one time on day two was a bewilderment as there didnt seem to be a need once i walked through the ai?

Line management? almost felt as it did in 2009 where the line stretched around the block.

Portal pass and general admission. Extra steps morty joke.

My general admission was gifted to me. I was seeking the pass upgrade because of the third day access…oh wait, third day access was not there. portal pass benefits of 2019 were not there.

In not maintaining my desire for a portal pass; i saved my self a serious load of coin; the au/us exchange rate was murder. Would have been financial suicide for something that gave me no benefit i sought for.

THE MAP AND LAYOUT: i defer to my previous statement about Harrison Jones and 2019. I only do one thing at blizzcon and those that know me; know. yet walking through the halls; I did see some thing that caught my attention and i regret not participating in them. Yet the map, didnt really sell my interest?

“tarot card reader” in the diablo hall? was somewhat piqued; but without knowing a bit more about what was offered; was it something like a trading card display? was it an actual card reader?; was it an internal promotion for the future of diablo. The hells ink? I got airbrushing in '09 and made an amazing friend lamentably no longer at blizzard with it. From what I gather there was live tattoo options available, as well as air brushing. again. the pique of the interest; versus the sale of the interest.

panels? stages? seating. for the love of moriarty. i have the knees of a 60 year old in a 42 year body. my day job is standing and walking some 12 miles a day in circular motions pushing hospital beds. I am not an ADA class citizen; but I know many who are. the ability to sit for even five minutes was abysmal.

Publicly accessible ammenities. This is a pre cursor to my major point. When the mens room side of the ablution block is cordoned off inside the darkmoon fire and you have to stand in a line to gain entrance; to use the bathroom much less fill a water bottle; you have two alternatives; sneak around the other side to the ladies block which raises a slew of bad comment which should be obvious; or turn on your heel and walk about 100 feet to the unisex bathroom. I am just glad i didnt have some gastro intestinal upset. not fun for anyone.

Darkmoon Faire: This is my big bit, I am biased to it; seeing as I have been there since its inception and followed it since.

It was a public humiliation of inefficiency. North hall, map 2019. Thats it, thats the darkmoon faire. the sheer joy of the effort to GET to the faire, it is a trek; to get to the staging area, hit the portal and arrive. thats what amps you up. if you are going to just casually nip across a hall; buy a thousand dollars worth of coin tokens and stand at the machine like a war widow in a casino until you get lucky, it kind of kills the giddy.

if you are going to buy a thousand dollars worth of tokens and then come back to redeem them like a war widow in a casino until you get lucky and then do what with the code? you just created three problems like lines being formed and mismanaged so that five friends could go to the pin trading. cannot get in for five hours and be so utterly deflated they decide not to do anything else, much less attend again. ok, thats five less tickets? five less attendees? knock on effect.

day one in the faire, no problem. apart from the floor space, the lack of seating; three park benches do nothing in 10 minutes, much less an hour; when its the same individuals trading for an hour. north hall, dedicated trade spaces with sit down. the faire is not just the faire for the faire.

day two? “i arrive late for work, i could not even get into the building” the fact that there were capped and poorly managed lines at the faire? at about 10am? so, even if i wanted to i dont know; use the mens room? see above previously.

final one…communication, between blizzard staff. security staff. convention centre staff. when three different coloured shirts and suits are standing in front of the dmf, putting up and holding up freshly printed a4 pages, indicating lines, MOVING the line strips, letting groups in without groups coming out; it was like porridge evolving.

not only was there no clear consistency in what was said, why and to who; the execution of it was like icecrown citadel being run on release by players fresh from mulgore.

i love blizzcon; i adore blizzcon. but blizzard, please find a way to bring back 2019, even if it takes you another 10 cons; we cant have another 2023; after 2020.

and yes, my post is like watching porrige evolve, its the forums; no one knows if you are typing with paws or claws. heres to 2024; may it be like metzen on stage after a long, strange trip.

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You speak to my heart, this is why I live in the faire.

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The purpose of the following message is to offer constructive feedback on how BlizzCon can improve. As someone who has attended three times, I really enjoy the event as a whole and want it very much to succeed.

That said, if I was to rate BlizzCon 2023 just by the merit of its organisation, its layout, and its planning, it was an overall disappointment.

It was painfully obvious that the people who managed BlizzCon in 2018 and 2019 were not managing 2023. Either the work was outsourced to a different company and/or new inexperienced staff had to come in to offset the layoffs of the aforementioned people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Either way, the logistics was a complete mess.

The Darkmoon Faire had its own room in the upper floor and was able to manage traffic very effectively in the previous two BlizzCons. Not so with 2023, with the queue reaching nearly the whole length of the Warcraft hall.

The management of the queue for opening ceremony was likewise chaotic. While the 2018 and 2019 BlizzCons had a first-come, first-served process, families and parties were broken up and some people were arbitrarily pull from the line to the front of the queue. Portal Pass holders were left in the lurch and were very confused as to where to go. I’m very thankful I did not pay the extra money for such a confusing experience.

There were people who managed the queues in 2018 and 2019 and capped them to stop them from overflowing. I saw none of that in 2023.

The security guard apparently killed the beach ball that has been a BlizzCon Opening Ceremony tradition. Ridiculous! Are we not allowed to have fun anymore?

Speaking of which, the con felt ridiculously downsized. There were a lot less panels, things were moved around for the sake of it (the opening ceremony was held where the Overwatch World Cup was normally held while a hall was set aside for OWWC), and not to mention, there were zero demos I was interested in.

Part of the charm of BlizzCon is the ability to try games well before they’re released. Instead for 2023, we had Warcraft Rumble, which just released and can be played anywhere, World of Warcraft Classic: Seasons of Discovery, which is coming out within a few days of this post, and Guardians of the Dream, which came out a few days after the con. Where was World of Warcraft: The War Within? The announcement was well received and hailed by many fans as a return to form, but we weren’t able to try it! I know that BlizzCon builds usually do not resemble the final build, but Warcraft demos usually are consistent with the final build.

The idea of removing alcohol and serving mocktails does not sit well with me. I heard that an alcohol licence wasn’t obtained. I’ve also heard this was in response to the sexual harassment lawsuit. Remove the people who were responsible for this terrible behaviour, and hold them to account, by all means, but please don’t punish everyone else because a few people apparently can’t behave while drinking. The collabs with Bottle Logic and the Warcraft/Starcraft-themed beers were not only delicious, but they also added to the immersion of the event and as someone who has attended sporting events in England and China, it’s a very magical thing to watch an esport while sipping on a Murky/Zergling Berliner Weisse in the hall. It once again bears repeating: are we not allowed to have fun anymore?

The blink shop had barely anything. Usually after the opening ceremony the shop would get updated with merchandise related to the upcoming announcements, with some products being exclusive to the con, but this time the products were generic, with some even going on sale a day later. What in the Light is going on!? Apparently some people were told at the last minute that their purchased product was sold out when they got there after making the purchase and were told to come again the next day.

And while it’s hard to deny that that staff were working around the clock, it’s also hard to deny that the professionalism has slipped. The staff in 2018 and 2019 would go through each item you bought with you. The staff in 2023 dumps the bag in front of you and asks you to go through it yourself.

Overall, this convention felt like we were offered less for more. We paid almost $100 more for the pass, but we got 50% of the convention we usually got. While I still had an amazing time, thanks to the wonderful BlizzCon community and the amazing energy Chris Metzen brought to the hall (as opposed to the obviously corporate phrasing from everyone else), I had fun in spite of the convention’s organisation, not because of it.

I know it’s vogue to rip on Blizzard, but I offer this criticism as a concerned fan. I want BlizzCon to succeed and continue to be held every year, but with how much of a discombobulated mess this year has been, a lot of people aren’t coming back, and it saddens me to hear that.

This is the first BlizzCon after the pandemic, so there’s bound to be a hiccup or two. I just sincerely hope BlizzCon 2024 will be back to normal and deliver the experience we all know and love.

Also, somewhat unrelated, but while I’m at it, please please please don’t take the Wrath Classic servers offline when Cataclysm Classic releases #savewrath.

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I flew 9000 kilometer and paid $300. The opening ceremony is arguably the most important part of Blizzcon, I missed out on most of it due to having to play waiting line simulator in the California heat. I just want to know how Blizzard is going to compensate for that. The moment I commented on it, staff were visibly annoyed and got dumb comments like “Well, be happy you’re not in the other line”. What the heck? Are you serious?

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