Is WoD the straw the broke the camels back? - Is Blizzard a B company?

[Forgon]

What has been growing inside of me, is a feeling that Blizzard has slowly become a company that is no longer the leader of the industry as it was.

Look, you can throw out numbers stating just how successful they still are, but it doesn't change the feeling.

They just haven't released a "major" game in a long time, and I think the reason stems from their sole purpose (it seems) to obtain "profit." Sure all companies need profit to grow, but it seems literally every decision they do now is based around how to make the most money with the least effort.

Just look at any of their new games. Hearthstone, Overwatch, HoTS... These are fast-paced and easy to play games that require little effort and can be spontaneous while rewarding. You may think all those things listed are perfect, to which they are, for profit--but not so for the games that made Blizzard what it is today.

WoW used to be a game about immersion, a game focused around exploring and choosing how to play. People still logged in, even if they didn't raid, because the "World" was alive, and people envied those with raiding gear because it was difficult. Gear, imo, is too easy to obtain--which is coupled with the fact that there's too much.

They have it on record that Vanilla WoW took them 4 years to create. IMO - they should release a "vanilla" amount of zones and quests and focus back on players exploring with new expansions and cut back on gear options, remove LFR, keep flex and heroic raiding, turn to a 4 year cycle, recreate immersion by adding back ammo, poisons and throw-weapons/ranged weapon slots and create incentives to explore the world like removing features in Garrisons like herb garden / mine and profession buildings. There's too much more to discuss, and I'm sure there's already too many people who would try to rip apart the idea of 4 year cycles for many reasons I would be adequate to debate but will try and refrain myself because I don't think they would ever understand the psychology of what got people addicted to WoW initially because the never played back then and don't understand.

But the end result is, WoD seems like the last straw in a line of continuing decisions from Blizzard that makes them seem like they are no longer capable, or willing, to produce the games that leads the industry in new directions. Again, I know Hearthstone is a massive success, and I'm sure HoTS and Overwatch will be the same, but those games design are so obviously focused on profit it's not funny to argue otherwise.

Personally, I think this is just the eventual effect that came with the Activision merge, and I think Activision is the root of much of the problems, but they won't split and the well already been poisoned so I really don't see hope.

That's it, I think Blizzard will soon become (if not already) a B company, incapable, or unwilling, to produce the complex and engaging games that made them.

[Schizoide]

Blizzard titles are still very highly polished, they just aren't blockbusters. They're focusing on smaller titles, free to play, for two reasons. First, because that's the way a lot of the industry is moving. Second, because their latest attempts at huge titles (Titan in particular) failed.

[Deleted]

Blizzard have 4 live games currently:

Blizzard have the most popular CCG on the market
Blizzard have the most popular MMO in the west on the market
Blizzard have the most popular RTS game on the market
Blizzard have one of the most popular ARPGs on the market (potentially the most popular) which broke alltime PC sales records on release

Blizzard have a high quality MOBA + Team Shooter coming up which are likely to be very popular too.

I'd say they are in a pretty good place when it comes to blockbusters.

Yes they don't churn out many games compared to other similar sized studios, but every one they do make seems to do exceptionally well.

[dools]

To me there's Blizzard 1994 - 2008 and Blizzard 2008+ and the latter is nothing like the former.

[Life-Binder]

rofl, if Blizz is B then almost every other company is like D/E


but yeah, WoD has brought WoW low

[Venziir]

Blizzard titles are still very highly polished, they just aren't blockbusters. They're focusing on smaller titles, free to play, for two reasons. First, because that's the way a lot of the industry is moving. Second, because their latest attempts at huge titles (Titan in particular) failed.

I'd argue that their latest really huge title was Diablo 3 - a massive succes and by far a blockbuster.

On topic; If Blizzard really still cares for WoW, they've got a funny way of showing it, I find it almost impossible that it's the same crew that was behind 5.0-5.2 that's behind 6.0-6.1.

[Forgon]

Blizzard have 4 live games currently:

Blizzard have the most popular CCG on the market
Blizzard have the most popular MMO in the west on the market
Blizzard have the most popular RTS game on the market
Blizzard have one of the most popular ARPGs on the market (potentially the most popular) which broke PC sales records on release

Blizzard have a high quality MOBA + Team Shooter coming up which are likely to be very popular too.

I'd say they are in a pretty good place when it comes to blockbusters.

That's not the question though. Sure, they're still making great money and their numbers are still strong, but the games they produce are almost solely inspired to do so, there's a feeling their quality has gone to be replaced with what makes the most profit--catering their game design around that rather than creativity.

[Deleted]

That's not the question though. Sure, they're still making great money and their numbers are still strong, but the games they produce are almost solely inspired to do so, there's a feeling their quality has gone to be replaced with what makes the most profit.

So people buy more Blizzard games than other company games because Blizzard games are worse?

Eh?

About the only hard data point you can use in a comparison of quality would be average revenue per title. I wouldn't be surprised to find average revenue per title for Blizzard is the largest in the world (apart from potentially a couple of goliath multi-platform franchises like AC and CoD).

[Baconeggcheese]

Just look at any of their new games. Hearthstone, Overwatch, HoTS... These are fast-paced and easy to play games that require little effort and can be spontaneous while rewarding.

You just described blizzards design philosophy for the last 20+ years.

[dd614]

The quality has dropped off so much from their earlier titles. They used to be known for putting out nearly perfect games that were far above everything else. A Blizzard game was guaranteed quality. Now, you pretty much roll the dice.

[dools]

Blizzard have a high quality MOBA + Team Shooter coming up which are likely to be very popular too.

HOTS is bloody awful. I will be very surprised it it comes close to denting Dota2 and LoL's numbers.

I predict Overwatch will flop in its attempt to dethrone TF2.

[Life-Binder]

HOTS is bloody awful. I will be very surprised it it comes close to denting Dota2 and LoL's numbers.

I predict Overwatch will flop in its attempt to dethrone TF2.

TF2 still has a throne ?

thought that was CSGO

[Thelin]

I'd argue that their latest really huge title was Diablo 3 - a massive succes and by far a blockbuster.

On topic; If Blizzard really still cares for WoW, they've got a funny way of showing it, I find it almost impossible that it's the same crew that was behind 5.0-5.2 that's behind 6.0-6.1.

You do realize people HATED Diablo 3 when it first came out after they released how broken it was. Heck people still hate on it pretty hard. They've fixed quite a few things about it..but the RMAH really killed it for most people until they removed it.

[Deleted]

HOTS is bloody awful. I will be very surprised it it comes close to denting Dota2 and LoL's numbers.

I predict Overwatch will flop in its attempt to dethrone TF2.

I really dislike HOTS too but everyone said Hearthstone would never succeed. A CCG release in the 21st century? What are they smoking?

But it's revitalized the genre and been a stand out hit. I highly doubt even they could have predicted it would be this popular.

I have no doubt HOTS + Overwatch will pull in new customers for those genres in such a similar way, even if I personally dislike them.

[Aurora]

They still produce games which can be enjoyed but there's a very money hungry element in WoD and Hearthstone which seems to have escalated in the past few years. The value in Blizzard products just isn't there like it used to be.

[Forgon]

So people buy more Blizzard games than other company games because Blizzard games are worse?

Eh?

Again, completely ignoring what I'm saying.

Just look at any of their new games. Hearthstone, Overwatch, HoTS... These are fast-paced and easy to play games that require little effort and can be spontaneous while rewarding. You may think all those things listed are perfect, to which they are, for profit--but not so for the games that made Blizzard what it is today.

Ok, so their successful, but how much is just their pull from their prestige from the past on a huge number of alumni players with incentives only to maximize profits than truly being creative in their design with any of their games?

I think their name is holding so much, but no longer living up to their past standard. They're game design is definitely more reflective of maximizing profit than ever before, if you deny that then I'm afraid you either don't know how it used to be, or choose to ignore it.

[Life-Binder]

Ok, so their successful, but how much is just their pull from their prestige from the past on a huge number of alumni players with incentives only to maximize profits than truly being creative in their design with any of their games?

I think their name is holding so much, but no longer living up to their past standard. They're game design is definitely more reflective of maximizing profit than ever before, if you deny that then I'm afraid you either don't know how it used to be, or choose to ignore it.

ok, so they're an AAA+ company with bad games

happy ?

[endersblade]

Blizzard have the most popular CCG on the market

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh god, I can never take you seriously ever again. Magic: The Gathering would like to have a word with you. And behind them is probably Pokemon and/or Yu-Gi-Oh! in close third. Oh man. My sides hurt, thank you so much for the ridiculous humor, you silly fanboy!

The problem is, Blizzard used to be a little-known company that released the most top-notch games in their genre. Diablo pretty much revolutionized iso-crawlers, Warcraft did the same for RTS games. But, for whatever reason, the Blizzard most of us fell in love with a few decades ago died at some point, and now we're stuck with a modified version of EA. All they want is money, and they know that no matter what they release, as long as it has their logo on it, people will buy it up. They don't care if 20, 30, 40% of their game's players flock to the internet and complain about them, they already got their money. And in the case of WoW, their sub numbers are steadily going down hill, and yet they continue to release lackluster expansions and patches, they won't add the features they know we want, they pretty much have given up on listening to us at ALL, because they have become so high and mighty they don't give a shit anymore.

Take any of their current games and compare them to the older ones. Nostalgia aside, Starcraft/Broodwar is STILL a better game that SC2. More people do SC1 tourneys than SC2. I'd hazard a guess that more people play D2 than D3, though I have no way of proving that. The newer games have flashier graphics and such, but they just don't compare. But Blizzard will continue to churn out garbage, and people will continue to eat it up. It's really depressing to see the direction the company is headed, I used to be such a Blizzard fanboy. Anything they released was pure gold.

I haven't been one of those bandwagon hoppers, I don't just complain about games or WoW expansions just because everyone else is. I've kept track over the years of all the things I liked about WoW, and where they are now. I take a look at WoD and just wonder what in the hell they were thinking. Same with a lot of what they did in MoP. I see what they're doing with SC2, and know they could've done so much more with it.

Ok, ok, I'm through ranting. My point is, I personally believe that yes, Blizzard has lost their luster with WoD. I have no interest in any of their upcoming games, as they're all stupid multiplayer/arena games, which the market is already absolutely flooded with. Blizzard is apparently not interested in sticking to their awesome single-player history, and is trying something new (probably at the behest of Activision, who is already making money on the MP market), and it's going to chase off a lot of their fans. It's going to take a lot of convincing for me to ever buy another Blizzard product. The next WoW expansion will either make or break the game for me. WoD is already a good sign of the apocalypse. Whatever comes next has some pretty big shoes to fill.

[Forgon]

You just described blizzards design philosophy for the last 20+ years.

I'd argue WoW does not fit that philosophy (at least vanilla).

[dools]

I really dislike HOTS too but everyone said Hearthstone would never succeed. A CCG release in the 21st century? What are they smoking?

But it's revitalized the genre and been a stand out hit. I highly doubt even they could have predicted it would be this popular.

I have no doubt HOTS + Overwatch will pull in new customers for those genres in such a similar way, even if I personally dislike them.

HS really had no competitor and ill admit is a great game albeit a money sink.

LoL and Dota2 are institutions in the Moba scene. I don't think Blizzard will have the pull they think they do with their clone game. Hey I could be wrong, I freely admit that.