Craig Amai leaves WoW Team

[LiiLoSNK]

Big deal. Craig Amai sucks chode.

[Septik]

With hair like that I'm not at all sadden.

between him and lore i cant decide who i want to punch in the face more.

[Eurhetemec]

I sincerely hope Pardo brings a similar fantasy genre MMO reminiscent of BC/Wrath to market.

And they could... having learned the issues with an MMO growing old in the tooth and all the programming corners they coded themselves into... they could really do something.

A LOT of people have asked for WoW 2... it may not be called that... but that is exactly what I suspect we will get.

The sad part is how long it will be before it comes to market.

This isn't going to happen unless they get a LOT more funding and massively expand the team - to literally dozens or hundreds of people.

They have $25m. That was how much Dark Age of Camelot cost to make in 2001. WoW cost $63m (arriving in 2004). I can't think of a successful, attractive MMO from the last five years that has cost less than $100m - and some much more - SWTOR was rumoured at upwards of $200m.

So I would suspect that they'll go a lot smaller-scale than an MMO, at least to start with.

Also, I don't mean to be rude, but your fantasy here is pretty much identical to the ones some EverQuest players had when Brad McQuaid left EQ and went on to make an MMO was to be "The REAL EverQuest 2", all old-skool and stuff - that was Vanguard, and it was a massive commercial failure, not least because people don't want that kind of game, despite saying they do - or at least not enough to matter.

So they'd need to make a good game first, and if it evoked the best aspects of early WoW, great, but it has to be a good game in it's own right - it absolutely cannot trade on "We're going back to the old-skool!". That is guaranteeing failure.

[Maudib]

25 million turns the lights on.

Look at Star Citizen... the have raised over 124 million dollars.... and still growing.

Totally would take the $400 dollars I give WoW over 2 years and instead give it to a company that showed a desire to return to a REAL MMO design.

[Drunter]

It amazes me how many people on this forum can't actually be working in the real world. "OMG THEY LEFT AFTER 10 YEARS EVERYTHING MUST BE FALLING APART"

[DarkAmbient]

Is there a clause in Blizzard contracts that requires you to write an overly sentimental resignation letter?

[Maudib]

So they'd need to make a good game first, and if it evoked the best aspects of early WoW, great, but it has to be a good game in it's own right - it absolutely cannot trade on "We're going back to the old-skool!". That is guaranteeing failure.

You mean fail like how Nostralius had 150,000 active players in a little podunk vanilla hack server? Failed so bad that Blizzard issued a cease and desist?

Even 150k subs at $15 would add up to 2.2 mill a month revenue.. plus the 7.5 million initial sales (if ONLY 150k bought it).

I know the term "old skool" makes some people cringe... they couldn't log in for a hour an evening and get given all the best gear. I don;t know why... you have WoW for instant gratification... free legendaries... click on 15 buts and 10 sqirrels and get Mythic level gear.

Yeah man.. That game is for you. But don't be upset if others play a real MMO and earn the best rewards though time and skillful play.

- - - Updated - - -

It amazes me how many people on this forum can't actually be working in the real world. "OMG THEY LEFT AFTER 10 YEARS EVERYTHING MUST BE FALLING APART"

If he goes to work for Bonfire... it's a sign... if he goes on to design women's clothing... meh it's a career change.

If you read his blog... he talks about being done with WoW... but WoW is only one of the several franchises. A talented person could have gone to the Diablo team. or Hearthstone... or... well you get the picture.

No, he left Blizzard. That is telling. And if he goes to Bonfire? Foretelling.

[aziras]

Leaving a company with a cordial post is the same as giving a 2 weeks notice. If you lambast your last employer, the next employer will wonder if they are next.

No... you keep your mouth shut... tell your story over drinks... and leave the shit at the door.

There is obviously a big shake up going on at Blizzard... and I for one am tickled. My guess is there has been a rift between teams at Blizzard for some time... the "division" over flying, and ll this RNG Diablo-style RNG crap being brought into WoW.

This was my thought as well.

Over the past few years 2013-2016 Activision Blizzard has been going through some strategy reworks. Just a few years ago the subscriber and game-box sales ruled. Now the company owns MANY franchises mainly fuelled by microtransactions.

Either these guys are not going to sit around and wait for WoW to go F2P. Or they are bummed that the other F2P franchises gets all the resources and they leave to join other companies where they can be "main stars" in developing a new MMO with their fingerprints.

Most of these designers, developers, and small-team managers probably didn't get enough options or shares to cash out for retirement. WoW was a big success, but it has been a success for a company that already made full capitalization years before. So no pots of gold for everyone involved in WoW.
Even if some of them cached out big, it still might not be enough to start a "passion project" as I am afraid the time for an oldschool MMO has passed.

[Maudib]

So I'm right, a person that most people didn't know about.

Also known as "the best questing experience so far in the history of this game".

My experience is that a person so obsessed with being recognized as "right" has much experience being wrong.

Your opinion... questing is quality as usual. Scaling of said leveling... WORST idea in WoW leveling history.

[Hellspawn]

When I read "crunch-time" I'm immediately out its really shameful that so many game companies do this.

[ryanmahaffe]

Leaving a company with a cordial post is the same as giving a 2 weeks notice. If you lambast your last employer, the next employer will wonder if they are next.

No... you keep your mouth shut... tell your story over drinks... and leave the shit at the door.

There is obviously a big shake up going on at Blizzard... and I for one am tickled. My guess is there has been a rift between teams at Blizzard for some time... the "division" over flying, and ll this RNG Diablo-style RNG crap being brought into WoW.

Too many cooks. I sincerely hope Pardo brings a similar fantasy genre MMO reminiscent of BC/Wrath to market.

And they could... having learned the issues with an MMO growing old in the tooth and all the programming corners they coded themselves into... they could really do something.

A LOT of people have asked for WoW 2... it may not be called that... but that is exactly what I suspect we will get.

The sad part is how long it will be before it comes to market.

BC/Wrath were entirely different and Wrath was for more like Cata/MoP/Legion than it was BC.

Legion is quite good, a FAR better opening patch than Wrath

On topic: peace out weird hair guy, you shall be missed.

[plaits]

All these threads ever show is that a lot of people who play WoW have never worked for a large company.

People leave. People come. People who have served over 10 years often leave a company that is really great just for something new.
The team at Blizzard is large and we only "see" a fraction of the staff. Most do not have a presence on the forums or on Q&As.

I'm willing to bet most everyone who thinks this means anything other than one guy wanting to move on, has not come anywhere close to the grind of working at the one place for ten years. I personally start getting restless at about 2 years in. To last 10 years these days really means something. Something *good* about that place, not bad.

[greysaber]

>purple hair
>grab 10 x and give them to me
>kill 50 x and come back to me

and nothing of value was lost. at all.

[shonist]

To be fair, he's been there for 10+ years.

i tought was a girl until this comment that blowed my mind and got to scroll up to look again wtf

[Lochton]

Nothing to talk about, he's been there for ages, and seeking new things to happen. A common thing in any franchise.

[Cromatus]

Hahaha, I love all the doomsayer in this thread, it's hilarious xD.

[Gaoji]

Was never a huge fan of him..

[bufferunderrun]

peoples in america really leave a good company like blizzard (i'm not talking about the game but the company itself) on the simple reason 'i want a new adventure'?

[Gaoji]

peoples in america really leave a good company like blizzard (i'm not talking about the game but the company itself) on the simple reason 'i want a new adventure'?

He's been there for 10+ years.

[minteK917]

peoples in america really leave a good company like blizzard (i'm not talking about the game but the company itself) on the simple reason 'i want a new adventure'?

Only idiots and simpleton stick to a single job more then 10+ years. People that usually cant aspire to more then a labor job. When you are skilled, eventually you wanna test your skills on other things, even if you are your own boss. Which is why even CEO jobs are ever changing, founders of companies find someone else to fill their shoes when they do other things, etc. Basically a skilled person needs to meet different challenges to be satisfied.