SC2 and D3: What is Blizzard doing?

[invidia]

This is exactly right. Blizzard's biggest competition is themselves.

Keep in mind that Blizzard is a business. Businesses exist to make money. They are making money on WoW and they have no incentive to release a game that will compete with another one of their games.

Don't blame blizzard for the delay of these games, blame WoW players. If everybody quit WoW today and blizzard had no income, I guarantee we'd see SC2/D3 in a couple of weeks.

WoW's subscription base has plateau'd. Maybe this is why we are seeing SC2 beta very soon. And they lost a huge portion of their WoW base in China due to censorship or other problems.

 

[simonizor]

They're doing what they always do; make a game great before they release it. Have you seen any game that they've released (excluding console games) flop?

 

[HybridSquirrel]

They're doing what they always do; make a great game before they release it. Have you seen any game that they've released (excluding console games) flop?

except for a few wow patches that screwed the game up for a couple of days, nothing.


btw fixed your op since i think you meant to say "make a great game before they release it"

 

[9mak9]

I would prefer to wait for a game to be polished and complete rather than rush it. The companies that make games right do it that way.

 

[Cartomancer]

First off, I recognize my date screw up(Yeah, my perception of time is a little buggy) and yeah, they've got a lot going for them right now in both, but what happens if it turns out to be as laggy as Spore when they finish their graphic touches? Remember, for it's time, StarCraft had average graphics (but pretty good for an RTS, no?) but had an amazing storyline? I swear, if it turns out to be as bland and predictable as Halo 3 was, I will be severely disappointed.

 

[Piotrsama]

Remember, this is Blizzard not EA.

 

[astrosfan315]

At this point I'd settle for the multiplayer component of Torchlight to come out ASAP.

 

[inspiron]

I am really wanting another Diablo II update, and a dream come true... another expansion! D2 + D2 LoD = Fun as hell, and as of 2010 there are still about 150 people on D2 closed battlenet everyday!

Hint: D2 deserves another expansion, and god knows another update at least...

 

[Zenoth]

If they can finally update D2 it will help to alleviate the stress of the waiting game, and as others have mentioned, we're talking about Blizzard here, not EA, Blizzard may be big and they may like money like all other businesses, but they certainly know what they're doing, I certainly am no one to judge them, I like both SC and D2, and even if the original teams left I still have entire confidence and trust in them.

If there is one company that I do not understand anything about at the moment and since a couple of months it's Valve, not Blizzard, really, Valve is starting to act like EA with their stupid L4D crap, I'm just sick of it, we want Half-Life, not L4D2 or L4D3, which I'm certain is under development, and when it happens the "veteran" L4D2 players who never played the original will finally understand what it is to be "Left For Dead" for another newer "cooler" product just a year after they bought the one product that they thought was "much superior" to the first, I actually wish that such a thing would happen.

Sincerely, I can stand Blizzard's stance right now.

 

[Maximilian]

I am really wanting another Diablo II update, and a dream come true... another expansion! D2 + D2 LoD = Fun as hell, and as of 2010 there are still about 150 people on D2 closed battlenet everyday!

Hint: D2 deserves another expansion, and god knows another update at least...

I think theres more than 150?

 

[JoshGuru7]

what happens if it turns out to be as laggy as Spore when they finish their graphic touches?...I swear, if it turns out to be as bland and predictable as Halo 3 was, I will be severely disappointed.

So you're worried that development time is taking too long and you're also worried that the product won't be very good when it releases. The second worry there is a good reason to forget about your first.

 

[gorcorps]

Blizzard is VERY careful never to give any firm date on release just so people don't get pissed that it was 'pushed back'. Seriously... they never gave you a date OP so how can you still be 'waiting'?

Also, I thought it was well known that DII was getting one more update?

 

[Zenoth]

Blizzard is VERY careful never to give any firm date on release just so people don't get pissed that it was 'pushed back'. Seriously... they never gave you a date OP so how can you still be 'waiting'?

Also, I thought it was well known that DII was getting one more update?

Yeah, but they announced that one year ago (they announced it in late Feb. 2009 if I recall correctly), so we can at least expect the inevitable, namely impatience from the D2 community, taking one or more than one year to develop a patch that in the end doesn't seem to do half of what was expected isn't helping anything either.

 

[desolate]

I can't wait for Starcraft 2 and I'm anxiously awaiting it's release. I don't really care how long Blizzard takes in it's development as I'm sure it will live up to it's hype and I have many other games to play while I wait for it's release. Blizzard has never disappointed me with their games and I have always believed they set high standards which they always deliver.

 

[dank69]

SC2 beta was pushed back because they split it into 3 separate games. You will have to buy all 3 to unlock all 3 races. But each episode will have 30 missions (90 total) as opposed to 10 missions per race for SC1. I think you will get your good storyline.

 

[Pantlegz]

Blizzard is doing what they always done. They're taking their time and making sure they put out a good product. I amazes me at the number of people that bitch about unpolished shitty computer games and/or the sad state of computer gaming but they bitch when a company does what they want, put out an incredible game that they've poured everything into.

I for one am glad Blizzard does what they do, I've played every one of their games since the original warcraft and I've never been disappointed. If it takes 10 years to make a game of their caliber, so be it. Because it will be played for 10-15 and everything else that comes out will be compared to it until the next game they release.

 

[Maximilian]

Blizzard is doing what they always done. They're taking their time and making sure they put out a good product. I amazes me at the number of people that bitch about unpolished shitty computer games and/or the sad state of computer gaming but they bitch when a company does what they want, put out an incredible game that they've poured everything into.

I for one am glad Blizzard does what they do, I've played every one of their games since the original warcraft and I've never been disappointed. If it takes 10 years to make a game of their caliber, so be it. Because it will be played for 10-15 and everything else that comes out will be compared to it until the next game they release.

Amen to that!

I usually dont like games with castles + archers etc, sci-fi is much more my thing but damn the warcraft series is awesome, the story, gameplay. Blizz never fails to make a fun game in every aspect.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I'd take "When it's ready" over "As soon as possible" any day.

I agree. It's better to wait and to get an awesome product than to purchase half-finished junk that was rushed out the door so that it would be on store shelves in time for Christmas (see Unreal Tournament 3).

 

[Magusigne]

So. You guys are basically telling me that they are waiting as long as they have to make a "great" game vs revenue?

Your telling me that releasing these games at ANY time will not cut into their profits (WoW subscriber base?)

Sure, I love blizzard just as much as the nerdraging fanboi, they make good games..and I hate them for it.

We've seen the MMO world get Squashed because of WoW. Everythijng (besides Eve I suppose) comes out like a half baked WoW in one form or another. I'd almost prefer a world without Blizzard.

*Steps off soapbox*

 

[dank69]

So. You guys are basically telling me that they are waiting as long as they have to make a "great" game vs revenue?

Your telling me that releasing these games at ANY time will not cut into their profits (WoW subscriber base?)...

They are designing SC2/D3 to work WITH WoW through battlenet. You will be able to chat with someone playing WoW while you are playing SC2. SC2 will not cut into WoW subscriber base as much as you think. I don't cancel my sub every time I get a new game.

 

[q011519]

Didn't Starcraft get pushed back until 2011?


Edit: Nope, looks like it still on track for this year.

 

[borisvodofsky]

long delays by Blizzard is nothing new

lol at letting the fan base down because of it

Yea, everyone is getting ready to have their hearts broken, as we already know SC2 simply CAN'T live up to hype.

 

[zylander]

What are they doing?!?!? LOL

They are counting the piles of money that they are raking in from World of Warcraft.

From a buisiness standpoint they can just sit on D3 and SC2 till the cows come home and just focus on WoW expansions till Blizzard actually feels threatened by another company (hahah yeah right).

They release SC2 or D3 and they will only hurt there WoW subscriber base.

This. WoW is still making them a lot of money. SC and Diablo are huge titles and no matter how long they delay the game, everyone is still going to buy it when it is released. They will make as much money as they can on WoW and then release SC2 and D3. I guarantee you there is not one person out there that will NOT buy SC2 or D3 when it is released simply because Blizzard took 'too long'.

 

[invidia]

Anyone here actually work for a game developer with valid reasons why games take so long to release?

 

[inspiron]

I think theres more than 150?

Per realm.