Live updates from the BlizzCon 2018 opening ceremony.
The quiet before the storm at BlizzCon 2018. Heather Newman
ANAHEIM, Calif. — BlizzCon, the Blizzard Entertainment fan conference that drew more than 35,000 people in person and millions on the pay per view stream last year, begins officially this morning with the opening ceremonies. This story will be updated as the news happens in that opening session.
9:40 a.m.: On each seat, at least in front sections, are large, folded cards with tiny eye slits for a «card stunt» to be used at some point during the opening ceremonies. The white front sections with the instructions are what are supposed to be pointed toward the stage — suggesting a lighting effect of some kind. Each seat has its own card — no mixing or matching.
The BlizzCon retrospective videos begin.
9:34 a.m.: With a roar and a whistle, the crowd is allowed to start moving from the lobby into the seating.
9:30 a.m.: The hall is carefully orchestrated for who gets to sit where. Media get the coveted front sections, and VIPs are immediately behind. But mixed with the VIP seats are other small sections: Wish Families, for example, have their own seating. Blizzard has granted free access to the convention in previous years to Make-A-Wish kids, and last year made an in-game World of Warcraft charity pet a Make-A-Wish benefit.
9:25 a.m.: The roars of «For the Alliance» and «For the Horde» have started, propelled by World of Warcraft fans and Blizzard Community Members in the audience, still composed mostly of media, staff and VIPs. At this rate, people are going to be hoarse before the 11 a.m. show even begins.
9:10 a.m.: The fans are coming! Blizzard staff announce overhead that the first wave of attendees are being allowed to «flood the lobby,» and the noise in the hall immediately picks up a notch with the reflected rumble of thousands of feet and thousands of voices.
9 a.m.: The entry lines are even more massive than usual this year, as new security measures—put into effect after the violent incident earlier this year at an esports tournament—have reduced the entry of fans into the Anaheim Convention Center to a trickle.
Meanwhile, the main hall remains nearly empty, shrouded in blue and smoke and slowly panning spotlights as soundtrack music from World of Warcraft and Overwatch and other franchises play. The 20-foot display screens that will present the best view to most attendees remain, but some seats will have worse views this year in the main Mythic stage area.
The entire room has been flipped lengthwise from previous years, creating much deeper seating, perhaps part of what allowed Blizzard to have extra rounds of ticket sales this year. Either way, fans who lined up early are going to be happy with their life choices. Hint to everyone standing in line: There are security entrances in the back, too.
I’ve been a gaming journalist for more than 25 years. Get my stories by email at https://goo.gl/MTGRAJ or follow me on Twitter @gbitses for the latest news about PC games, virtual reality games, and Blizzard Entertainment. My work has appeared in outlets including USA Today,…
