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Inside the World of Blizzard
businessweek.com — Its recent merger with Activision created the biggest player in video games. But Blizzard is much more than its mega-hit World of Warcraft
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- Starshope, on 08/20/2008, -0/+54starcraft only sold 10 million copies? I thought there were more people in Korea than that.
- ptsuk, on 08/21/2008, -3/+18What you don't realize its only one Korean who hotboxes and zergs the entire pathetic US gamers.
- banido, on 08/21/2008, -0/+30http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft#Reception
4.5 million were sold in South Korea, which has a population close to 49million. That's almost 10%, truly impressive.- groo68, on 08/22/2008, -0/+9And then it's almost 20% of the male population.
- Slade605, on 08/22/2008, -7/+2Not like it was hard to pirate... har har har
- rmeddy, on 08/22/2008, -0/+4The keyword their is SOLD. piracy is rampant in asia.
- bluepill2, on 08/21/2008, -15/+1My prediction for the future becomes less daring every year, as you know, it actually begins to come true. But anyway, for what its worth: I predicted that videogame companies would rise to greater power than film studios, and eventually, videogames as an entertainment platform, would gobble up movies. Big ticket releases wont just be a game, or just a movie, it'll be the whole shebang at the same time, everything in synch. The wachowskis tried to do it with Matrix 2, but it was clumsy and kinda backfired. But it'll be tried again, and it'll work.
- relic180, on 08/21/2008, -0/+11So... what are you saying, you want credit for that or something?
- eggballs, on 08/22/2008, -0/+7The Matrix of Egotism has you.
- kodiak90, on 08/21/2008, -12/+710 mil+ all the pirated versions
- krustaceo, on 08/21/2008, -13/+2blizzard started when satan decided to go corporate
- kingmanic, on 08/22/2008, -0/+4Well. Wow sure has drained a portion of humanity of energy and vitality. Possibly broken up some marriages and sent some people into a downward spiral.
- Stemnin, on 08/22/2008, -0/+3I assume you mean Baal?
- relic180, on 08/21/2008, -2/+64FTA:
"Some [Blizzard] designers even plan vacations to coincide with major release dates in order to play alongside regular consumers."
Awesome.- Felix2Fingerz, on 08/22/2008, -0/+3Heyyyy....who you callen regular?!
- sasukechaos, on 08/21/2008, -0/+16Blizzard: The leading company in making digital sports a reality. I really hope this merger with Activision keeps Blizzard at the top of the PC gaming charts. I've paid those bastards quite a bit of money, they better not fail now haha.
- phydeaux70, on 08/22/2008, -0/+14I agree with this 100%. There was nothing wrong with Blizzard the way that it was, so I hope that this merger doesn't change their working formula.
- banido, on 08/21/2008, -1/+36For those who don't play WoW, we're still waiting for a new game from Blizzard since Warcraft III was released back in 2002 (and The Frozen Throne in 2003).
After all this time, they better make Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 meet the expectations.- D0rk4L, on 08/22/2008, -2/+10They're following the Team Fortress 2 development and release model. Chill.
- Boofster, on 08/22/2008, -5/+1Start playing warcraft then. QQ
- cordillera, on 08/22/2008, -3/+5It's actually a lot more than 10 mill.. it's not right I know but almost everyone I know has a pirated version of Starcraft
- oinyo, on 08/22/2008, -2/+31They toss out games they deem " not fun " and spend years after the game is ready just testing it before they release them.
This is why every single Bliz games released is a game of the year and breaks a record.
Bliz sadly is the only company with a brain. If the ***** is boring and will tarnish your name.. DONT HURL IT OUT THE DOOR!- mogebier, on 08/22/2008, -14/+1It's not that they have a brain about games, it's that they have the revenue coming in from WoW that they can afford to scrap crappy games.
- Yazilliclick, on 08/22/2008, -1/+13That doean't really make a whole lot of sense considering that two games listed that they canned were prior to wow...
- pradvan, on 08/22/2008, -1/+14They've been doing this long before WoW.
- Slizzo, on 08/22/2008, -1/+2Agreed, it's always been a risk to them canning games in the past, but with the cash cow that is World of Warcraft, they should have enough of a cushion to make sure that they still get paid during development.
Let's just hope they stay humble and keep producing the level of quality they have in the past.
- kdamp, on 08/22/2008, -0/+16Blizzard isn't "the only company with a brain."
Valve operates in a similar manner, and their titles are generally extremely high quality.- jessenoob, on 08/22/2008, -7/+1Whoops, digg me down
- daspacepirate, on 08/22/2008, -0/+2I like how they mentioned Starcraft: Ghost in the article... but not by name.
- mogebier, on 08/22/2008, -14/+1It's not that they have a brain about games, it's that they have the revenue coming in from WoW that they can afford to scrap crappy games.
- IglooBurner, on 08/22/2008, -6/+9As a programmer, and a dedicated Starcraft player, I would kill to work for Blizzard. Man... maybe one day...
- masterandalf, on 08/22/2008, -0/+2programming for blizzard would be amazing! thats my dream too
- ZeroTonight, on 09/02/2008, -0/+0They have plenty of jobs, just move, not hard.
- masterandalf, on 08/22/2008, -0/+2programming for blizzard would be amazing! thats my dream too
- dn11, on 08/22/2008, -0/+6I was hoping they would describe the bathroom stalls in the offices. According to GFW they had comic books racks with all the latest issues... I have a feeling they also have toilet paper rolls that dispense $100 bills.
- SomeDrunk, on 08/22/2008, -0/+3WoW Live Action slated for 2009, huh?
- Boofster, on 08/22/2008, -0/+3Can't they just run Molten Core and render it in HD while editing multiple camera viewpoints? Movie with 10 sequels in 4 hours.
- aereaus, on 08/27/2008, -0/+0No mention of it on IMDb yet. Who knows but it would be cool.
- diabolicedict, on 08/22/2008, -0/+20Other PC game companies should take a lesson from Blizzard on how to create profitable games without DRM.
- JayceMJ, on 08/26/2008, -0/+0Make them all multiplayer and online with a CD Key for authentication. Brilliant but doesn't solve the problem of games made for a single player experience (such as Spore, which unfortunatly I can't touch by principal because of the DRM placed on it. Was really looking forward to the game, too). Online co-op can work for some single player type games, but not all. Imagine a traditional Final Fantasy with co-op. Oh god, I just vomited a little. The only other (poor) option is 'phoning home' to authenticate your copy (easily bypassed) or providing an online service that you have to be logged into to play any of the games (Steam, which has been bypassed by pirates anyways) both options of which have gotten some serious back lash and really only hurt the honest consumer. I'd rather these than the ***** placed on Spore though. Screw them and their 3 installs. If I wanted to rent the game I'd go to Blockbuster.
- mogebier, on 08/22/2008, -11/+2"But Blizzard is much more than its mega-hit World of Warcraft"
Yes, but it's that continued revenue stream that keeps the company going. They might be more than that, but try and get people to name anything they have released lately and you will come up with a really short list, if people know of any at all.- getbusyliving, on 08/22/2008, -1/+4You are a ***** moron.
- Insanitation, on 08/22/2008, -1/+2Battle chess, Blackthorne, Rock n roll racing...to name a few.
- Tyrghast, on 08/22/2008, -14/+2They also break and ruin their games in order to make more money. WoW was great back in the day, but when BC rolled around it ruined the game. They retconned half the story to put Draenei in the game. They caved in to the casual gaming crowd, sacrificing story and quality for easier gameplay and taking the fun out of raiding and pvp.
- Yazilliclick, on 08/22/2008, -1/+12They didn't break the game at all. They made it more fun for their primary consumer based and they maintined the story and added to it. The quality was also higher than the original. Just because you didn't like it is no reason sulk and pretend like it ruined the game or was a bad move.
- Tyrghast, on 08/22/2008, -9/+1As most people who like the Warcraft franchise would say, what was fun about WoW was the slightly dark atmosphere, the epic 40 man raids, and the challenging PvP. Burning Crusade did away with all of that.
- Durrok, on 08/22/2008, -0/+8Hey Tyrghast here is a fun fact for you: BC is the only expansion to a game that rated /higher/ then the original game.
- Lythium, on 08/22/2008, -0/+6Ease up on him, kids - he's just pissed that his hard-earned lvl 60 bragging-rights epics (for which he sacrificed his career, his upcoming marriage, a platoon of small furry animals, and the soul of his firstborn child) got traded in for greens by the time he hit 62 ;)
- Yazilliclick, on 08/22/2008, -1/+12They didn't break the game at all. They made it more fun for their primary consumer based and they maintined the story and added to it. The quality was also higher than the original. Just because you didn't like it is no reason sulk and pretend like it ruined the game or was a bad move.
- aluxe, on 08/22/2008, -8/+4FTA:
"Simple to learn, difficult to master is the holy grail of game design," he adds. "Blizzard does this every single time."
I've enjoyed Blizzard's work ever since Warcraft came out in `94...but WTF is "difficult to master" about Diablo?- Yazilliclick, on 08/22/2008, -1/+4It's not terribly difficult perhaps but there's a lot of math andtalent discussion (or at least there was, it's a bit old now :P) about what made the best character, how to achieve the highest rate of attack, different builds and uncommon ones, pvp, etc...
- khoa1708, on 08/22/2008, -9/+0world of starcraft?
- sindex, on 08/22/2008, -0/+5wtf... I don't want a new expansion for WoW every year. That's when EverQuest became more of a chore than a relaxed, fun game to play. Every 2-ish years with some big patches thrown in works fine, Blizzard, as evidenced by your 11 million subscribers. Please don't pull a Sony here....
- Koskun, on 08/22/2008, -1/+8The original Everquest has 15 expansions over 8 years (the 15th is due out in Oct). Everquest 2, which only released a month or 2 before WoW, already has 8 expansions in just 3 years.
I'm not talking about just downloaded stuff here, these are all expansions you had to go out and buy.
In 4 years WoW will have had 2 expansions, plus numerous free content patches (well, part of the $15 per month you could also say).
SoE wants to beat a dead horse and snipe every penny they can, WoW seems to actually like their player base.- aereaus, on 08/27/2008, -0/+0and the nice thing is the amount of content. I've been an alliance player for years. I still can become horde, and probably will just to check out the other side. Digg it!
- RetlawST, on 08/22/2008, -0/+4As a pre-BC raider who took a couple years off to finish school, I like the idea of the expansion because it allows me to get into raiding again. By the time I hit 70, people were moving on to BT and it became more difficult to get into SSC, TK, Hyjal groups. Granted, I could have joined another guild, but I played with friends and people I knew IRL so it wasn't much of an option.
- sindex, on 08/22/2008, -1/+1I'm not saying expansions are bad. I'm saying Blizzard has an excellent track record of creating a game (or expansion), testing the hell out of it, and releasing Game of the Year. I don't want to see that reputation tarnished by some suit saying, "Ok, we love this money, so pump out some useless expansion every year. Forget months of closed alpha and invite beta testing to make sure it's up to speed. Just release it and the lemmings will buy it! Muwahahaha!"
Expansions are cool and fun - everyone once in a while. 2 years seems to be perfect. - MarkusDee, on 08/25/2008, -0/+2Maybe it's just me but I hate the idea of paying for an expansion when you are already paying a monthly sub. That's where I think Eve Online (love it or hate it) gets it right, and they basically give the client away for free. If more MMOs followed that business model I would be more inclined to play them.
- sindex, on 08/22/2008, -1/+1I'm not saying expansions are bad. I'm saying Blizzard has an excellent track record of creating a game (or expansion), testing the hell out of it, and releasing Game of the Year. I don't want to see that reputation tarnished by some suit saying, "Ok, we love this money, so pump out some useless expansion every year. Forget months of closed alpha and invite beta testing to make sure it's up to speed. Just release it and the lemmings will buy it! Muwahahaha!"
- Koskun, on 08/22/2008, -1/+8The original Everquest has 15 expansions over 8 years (the 15th is due out in Oct). Everquest 2, which only released a month or 2 before WoW, already has 8 expansions in just 3 years.
- chaos7, on 08/22/2008, -1/+7i hope activision blizzard bring down EA
- Durrok, on 08/22/2008, -1/+2They print money with Madden every year... as long as they have that contract with the NFL they are not going anywhere.
- chaos7, on 08/23/2008, -0/+1i'm pretty sure they aren't even profitable company
EA reports net loss of $95m for Q1
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/ea-reports-n ...
- chaos7, on 08/23/2008, -0/+1i'm pretty sure they aren't even profitable company
- Durrok, on 08/22/2008, -1/+2They print money with Madden every year... as long as they have that contract with the NFL they are not going anywhere.
- TheToecutter, on 08/22/2008, -8/+3I remember when id Software was at the top of the heap. They too eventually fell into mediocrity. It will happen to Blizzard too. Someone new and better will come along an knock them down.
- NinjaJoshy, on 08/22/2008, -1/+2Agreed. All good things eventually come to an end. It will happen whent he next revolutionary thing becomes available. That doesn't mean that Blizzard will go downhill, just something will become bigger and better.
- Couchy, on 08/22/2008, -0/+12I hope they don't push back D3 for another 2-3 years because of all the people saying it looks too much like WoW. The game is gonna be mad fun no matter what colour the ogres ass is.
- xlneoMAXlx, on 08/22/2008, -1/+10I know right? If you don't like the ***** colors, change the color temp on your monitor! *****!
- vagarach, on 08/22/2008, -0/+1Or put one of those clip-on glare reducers!
- rocketship47, on 08/22/2008, -0/+8There was a great article on the designers response to the whole color issue, they pretty much shot down all the suggestions with well-reasoned and logical arguments. Those ideas they didn't shoot down they said they had already implemented in later levels which there were no promo screenshots for.
http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/07/02/diablo-i ...
- xlneoMAXlx, on 08/22/2008, -1/+10I know right? If you don't like the ***** colors, change the color temp on your monitor! *****!
- cobainirvana, on 08/22/2008, -4/+2I don't want to hear anything about blizzard unless it is a release date for SC2 or D3.
- Boofster, on 08/22/2008, -3/+1I do not concur. I'm tired of the hype. I don't want to hear anything about those two ever. They are going to suck. Nothing compares to wow except wow 2.
- Wargasmic, on 08/23/2008, -0/+1lol rofl lol noob fag lol
- JayceMJ, on 08/26/2008, -0/+0If you want a release date then you don't really believe in Blizzard's ways.
- Boofster, on 08/22/2008, -3/+1I do not concur. I'm tired of the hype. I don't want to hear anything about those two ever. They are going to suck. Nothing compares to wow except wow 2.
- Namco, on 08/22/2008, -0/+2Woot, dugg for the Jeff Green quote!!
- Aurabolt, on 08/22/2008, -0/+5All companies should have a release date of "when it's done" for all their games. This media hype release date crap is fun to look forward to, but it damages the quality of games.
- Lythium, on 08/22/2008, -0/+8Just look at what happened to Age of Conan, the purported WoW-killer. Yyyyeah.
- Hermmunster, on 08/22/2008, -0/+3I don't know much about this but I don't quite understand this merger. It would be in Blizzard's best interest to stand alone unless it was Blizzard that purchased Activision. Blizzard has 10 million subscribers last I heard. That's around $150 million a month in fees. That comes to over a billion dollars a year in fees. Why would Blizzard sell/merge with a company that we know doesn't nearly make that much money? Activision has never been a truly benevolent influence on the current world and they've hurt us with their draconian DRM schemes here and there.
- cubicledrone, on 08/22/2008, -5/+0Nerf druids.
- jaysont34, on 08/22/2008, -0/+2They're fine. Nerf locks in pvp.
- DiggBuryMe, on 08/22/2008, -0/+0First rogues, then locks.
- jeepgun, on 08/23/2008, -0/+1Buff moonkins.
- jaysont34, on 08/22/2008, -0/+2They're fine. Nerf locks in pvp.
- crazy0, on 08/22/2008, -5/+0bring back Freespace!!! (Interplay I kno but who cares)
bring back Freespace!!!
bring back Freespace!!!bring back Freespace!!!bring back Freespace!!!bring back Freespace!!!- vagarach, on 08/22/2008, -0/+1Go on google and get the Freespace SCP. done.
- crazy0, on 08/25/2008, -0/+0been there done that......
- vagarach, on 08/22/2008, -0/+1Go on google and get the Freespace SCP. done.
- kayjay, on 08/22/2008, -5/+1ahm????
spy is sapping my dispenser ????
valve. - dQuarters, on 08/22/2008, -4/+0Blackthorn or it didn't happen.
- Recluse84, on 08/23/2008, -0/+1First game I've ever played on a PC was Diablo when I was a kid, been a die hard Blizz fan ever since.
- blegmar, on 08/26/2008, -0/+1They only make good games. Activision better not ***** force releases or SO HELP ME GOD.
Starcraft Ghost WASN'T released BECAUSE blizzard didn't want want to break the streak.
Also see: LONGEST ***** BETAS OF ALL TIME.
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