World of Warcraft: Shadowlands livestream postponed

Blizzard has postponed a World of Warcraft: Shadowlands livestream previously scheduled for June 9.

“More important voices than ours need to be heard, and now is the time to listen,” it said on Friday.

The livestream was due to be hosted by World of Warcraft executive producer John Hight and game director Ion Hazzikostas, and provide a look at some of the newest content in development for the expansion.

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Blizzard announced World of Warcraft: Shadowlands at last year’s BlizzCon, when it said the expansion would be available on or before December 31, 2020.

In late May the company cancelled BlizzCon 2020 due to challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Multiple events and content launches have been delayed amid the Black Lives Matter protests, including the PlayStation 5 games showcase, a Cyberpunk 2077 reveal, IGN’s Summer of Gaming showcase, the Guerrilla Collective digital games festival, plus the latest Fortnite and Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Warzone and Mobile seasons.

Electronic Arts, which delayed a planned Madden NFL reveal in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, is scheduled to host a digital showcase of its upcoming games on June 11, featuring “world premieres, news and more”.