Tag: blizzard (Page 3 of 4)

Activision could have had Blizzard for 1/1000th the price

January 20, 2010 / Jeff Morgan

Blizzard is about as hot a property as you can have these days. The World of Warcraft developer makes $100 million a month off its MMO alone. That’s why Activision had to pay $7 billion to acquire the company.

Back in 1995, though, Blizzard was just a minnow in the video game pond. It had just put out a little title called Warcraft that would become the basis for a development empire. Davidson & Associates saw the potential and decided to go for it, purchasing the company for a mere $7 million. Bob Kotick spoke with Game Informer about the purchase.

“That year Activision probably had $60 million in revenues. They said they paid $7 million dollars for Blizzard. I’m like ‘Are you out of your minds? They’re like a contract developer! They have Warcraft but what else do they have? You paid SEVEN million! That’s insane!”

“I was talking to [Blizzard founder] Mike Morhaime the other day and I said, ‘You know, I could have bought you for $7 million and instead it was $7 billion.’ He said, ‘Yeah, could you imagine if I had just held out for the $7 billion instead of the $7 million?’”

Kotick sounds like his usual, dickish self. Then again, he did end up paying the $7 billion price tag.

Source: Game Informer

Activision, News

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Blizzard will return to consoles “at some point”

December 22, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

When Diablo III was first announced, there was wide speculation that it could be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360. The series screams console development with its simple control scheme and dungeon-mashing playstyle. Blizzard isn’t quite ready to confirm that rumor, but the developer did say it’s thinking about console development in a serious way.

Speaking to Gamasutra, World of Warcraft production director J. Allen Brack said Blizzard will make a return to console gaming. The only thing holding it back is that the company wants to make “the right game for the right platform.”

“We will definitely work on a console game at some point. I have no doubt about that,” said Brack. I still have hopes for a Diablo III port, but I can’t say I’m ready to believe the rumors.

Source: Gamasutra

Activision, Development

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Blizzard says WoW imitation is flattering, “not the right move”

December 1, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

In an interview for the latest issue of PC Zone, Blizzard lead producer Shane Dabiri tried to discourage aspiring MMO developers from attempting to copy World of Warcraft, saying it’s “definitely not the right move.” Instead, he thinks those same devs should be looking to create “innovative new MMOs.”

Sounds like good advice to me. Really, why would anyone play a new game that’s just like WoW when there’s an established player base – a gigantic one at that – around Blizzard’s baby. “Players that have invested time in WOW don’t just want to do the same thing in other game – they want to try something completely new and different,” said Dabiri. Again, true. This was part of the reason I quit playing Warhammer. I thought I was just burnt on WoW, but almost all MMOs today use the same grinding method to grant players rewards. It gets old. Someone, somewhere has to have a new idea about thousands of players interacting with one another.

That’s another important point – the shift in MMO development has to be about more than just setting. Part of WoW‘s success is that it has an engaging, coherent world, but more importantly it was a new style of play for millions of people. That’s what we really need from a new MMO – something that feels completely different from anything we’ve played before.

Source: cvg.com

Activision, MMO, PC

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No date for Diablo III means no time soon

November 22, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

For a while there I was hoping Blizzard would spring a holiday surprise on us and drop Diablo III just before the end of the year. I realize it would have been crazy – this season is already packed with blockbuster titles for every platform and Blizzard likes to be everyone’s primary focus when it launches a new game. It makes sense, then, that we won’t see the game this year. Or next. But probably the one after that.

Speaking with TechLand, Rob Pardo said Blizzard isn’t even approximating a release date yet. “We always announce all of our games too early,” he said. “We realize that and go, ‘You know what? Next time we’re not going to do that.’ And then we always fail at that. But I’d rather fail at that than fail at making the game great. I think it’s safe to say that, yeah, [Diablo III] is not going to be out next year.”

On the one hand you have to respect his position. It’s pointless to claim a release date if you’re just going to push it back again and again. On the other, though, it’s tough to see the point in talking so much about the game when we could be two years from release. The game already feels overdue, and it’s not like the gameplay or the graphics are so earth-shattering as to be considered even excellent in two years or more.

I’d call this the next Duke Nukem if it were anyone but Blizzard and anything but Diablo.

Activision, PC, Previews

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Blizzard throws a bunch of content at Starcraft II site

November 20, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Blizzard updated the official Starcraft II page today with all sorts of goodies for you ravenous fans. I was excited to see some 17 new screenshots from both gameplay and cinematics. As you’d expect, the cinematics have that special Blizzard flair, the kind that usual makes me wish the company’s games were a tad less stylized for actual gameplay.

The update also showcases the storytelling aspects of SC2. I love to see tidbits like this, especially because it can be difficult to develop a solid storyline with, well, any game. The Starcraft II campaign sounds great, even if you’ll spend the vast majority of your time online. Blizzard also tossed in a short story about the Changeling unit.

For the map addicts among you, there’s also a closer look at how Blizzard makes 1v1 maps into a strategic battle. Again, a nice read and a great look behind the scenes.

PC, Previews

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