BlizzCon 2016 virtual tickets are now on sale

BlizzCon 2016 is set to take place November 4-5 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Tickets to attend in person are completely sold out, but “virtual tickets,” offering streaming access to the entire event, are now on sale.

This year's big Blizzard blowout will feature developer panels on World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, Diablo III, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch, plus exclusive interviews with members of the development teams, contests, BlizzCon-exclusive swag, and giveaways of in-game items. A pile of pro esports will also be on tap, including the StarCraft II World Championship Series Global Finals, the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship, the Hearthstone World Championship, and the Heroes of the Storm Fall Championship.

"It's incredible to think that we're getting ready for our tenth BlizzCon," Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime said. "We can't wait to celebrate this epic milestone—and Blizzard's 25-year anniversary—together with everyone joining us in person and watching from home with the Virtual Ticket. We'll have more live games than ever at this year's show, and we look forward to sharing our newest content, celebrating our players' creativity, and witnessing some incredible esports competition this November."

Some of the BlizzCon happenings, including the opening ceremonies and all the esports showdowns, will be broadcast free for everyone. But the virtual ticket grants access to everything, streamed in HD over two separate channels, including on-demand replays of events for three weeks after the show is over. BlizzCon 2016 virtual tickets are available for $40 each at blizzcon.com, and DirecTV customers in the US can also opt to take it in as a PPV event for the same price, which includes access to a virtual ticket.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.