WHat are your thoughts on the current status of Blizzard as a developer?

[Barkloud]

What Diablo fiasco?
Diablo mobile will be great success, just not for those old farts sitting in audience at Blizzcon 2018. They dont understand they are not target audience anymore, new players look for different kind of games on different platforms and Blizzard will deliver just that.
Btw, im also old fart, just not self-centric so much and realised our times are passed...Classic wont return those times...

- - - Updated - - -


Just check amazon....

I bet there are alot of us old farts here. Look how long many of these posters have been on MMO-Champ.

I do not have a problem with Diablo Immortal, I think it is smart for them to go into Mobile. I think it was poor planning to announce to a PC Centric crowd that you have absolutely nothing planned for Diablo PC, but here is an awesome mobile game. I would be lying if I didn't say I was disappointed there was nothing in the works for Diablo.

Blizzard was the undisputed king of hack and slash. A title that seems to be handed to PoE. Maybe it is not a segment of business they want anymore. I like PoE, Chaosbane looks good, Lost Ark looked fun. The good news is there are plenty of Hack and slashes coming.

[Raetary]

What Diablo fiasco?

they announced a mobile title as the next big thing for a pc franchise, a franchise that has been dry of content/updates/news for quite a long time.
it was the wrong time, to the wrong audience which led to them getting booed at and made fun of at their own convention.


yes, it was a fiasco.

[Triceron]

they announced a mobile title as the next big thing for a pc franchise that they have abandoned
it was the wrong time, to the wrong audience which led to them getting booed at and made fun of at their own convention.

This is the problem. People reacted badly because they felt PC was being abandoned.

Yet we _all_ know that Diablo 4 is in development. We all know that Diablo Immortal is not the only Diablo product being developed right now. We know that they have hired new devs for a PC-centric title, which can assumed to be Diablo 4. We know Immortal isn't even fullly developed in-house; it's being co-developed with Netease.

Blizzard did a bad job of communicating prior to announcement, and I agree that they screwed up by announcing it at the wrong place and time.

[sam86]

Just check amazon....

he can be 2nd, but he isn't the most overpayed, that 'honor' goes to Bobby, who knows who will hold it next year...

[Zandalariprelate]

Blizzard needs some self awareness, the whole diablo inmortal fiasko could had been prevented if they showed some logo about Diablo 4 or a new spin-off for Diablo franchise for PC and maybe for consoles later. WoW has some serious problems with the feedback, they maybe need to listen top players to get more especific things like x talents will suck ass for an entire expansion because in certain scenario will be broken which will force to nerf or keep in low damage certain spells like for example the havoc talent in Legion which was the main reason for not buff the single target of the destro lock or Demo where you had to empower every single demon add which made the whole spec clunky and tedious to play

[Kokolums]

I think people misappropriately apply their opinions of specific design decisions to them as a developer as a whole.

Blizzard as a developer is right on track on providing entertainment for the masses.

no theyre not. they are ill equipped to compete in the modern gaming world. there is no reason why future blizzard games should be able to outcompete rival gaming companies.

[Mojo03]

My feeling correlates with popular belief that they are out of touch and too profit driven.

Simply compare how developers talked 5-10 years ago at Blizzcon to last year and its pretty disgustingly clear how corporate the company is now.

It'll be interesting to see how they move forward. They tend to actually put out good work when put under pressure and right now they seem to be in that scenario, so we'll see.

[Triceron]

no theyre not. they are ill equipped to compete in the modern gaming world. there is no reason why future blizzard games should be able to outcompete rival gaming companies.

Depends on who you are comparing them to in terms of rival game companies. What metrics are we using here?

Are we comparing to Fortnite/Apex? Are we comparing to other MMO's? Are we comparing to mobile games? Are we comparing to other games of the same genre?

Which games are not successful? The narrative as a whole is that Blizzard's games aren't doing well compared to other companies or reaching their own corporate goals, but that isn't to say the games themselves aren't successful or fun in their own right.

Have you played Overwatch? Would you say 'This game is bullshit and completely unfun'?

Have you played Hearthstone? Would you say 'This game is bullshit and completely unfun'?

It really depends on who you think their competitors are and what measure of success you are guaging. Starcraft 2, despite all its flaws and ill comparisons to SC1, is still one of the dominant RTS right now in the market. Diablo 3, despite its pitfalls, was a financial success and is still considered fun today by the players who are still playing. Heroes of the Storm, despite being able to topple or compete evenly with DOTA and LoL, is still the 3rd top MOBA in the market. The game is still fun and is still being updated, even if devs have shifted over.

I'm not being an apologist here, I'm literally explaining the current state of the games. Yes, players have shifted and moved on to other games, but this has always been the case since the very beginning. What does Blizzard do? They release new games, and those new games bring players back in. The fact is they haven't had a new big game release since Overwatch 2-3 years ago, and all their efforts were in maintaining their franchise fanbases. Now we know they are hunkering down and working on multiple big projects for the future.

So can they compete with other companies today? Absolutely, because that's what their top devs are focusing on right now. They're making the next big new IP. They're making the next big Diablo game; with many hints that they're learning from the mistakes of D3. Even with the shitty publicity Diablo Immortal got at Blizzcon and here in the west, it will be a huge potential success in the Asian market. Hell, people who actually played the game at Blizzcon said the game was actually fun, and I haven't actually seen or heard any first-hand reports that the game was bad; only people online comparing to an existing Netease mobile game (which they never played themselves, mind you). I don't take that as a valid claim that they are unable to compete in the market.

I don't think a knee jerk attempt at capitalizing on the next-best genre is what Blizzard should do to stay competitive. This whole narrative happened 5 years ago when WoW was already considered old People didn't have faith that Blizzard could make a new good game. Then Overwatch and Hearthstone proved everyone wrong. This isn't some lightning in a bottle, this is the product of having their developers creating and testing new concepts behind hidden doors.

- - - Updated - - -

My feeling correlates with popular belief that they are out of touch and too profit driven.

Simply compare how developers talked 5-10 years ago at Blizzcon to last year and its pretty disgustingly clear how corporate the company is now.

It'll be interesting to see how they move forward. They tend to actually put out good work when put under pressure and right now they seem to be in that scenario, so we'll see.

The company was always corporate. And what you have to realize is what they did with the recent cutting-of-jobs was pour more resources into development for new games. That's what players actually want, not just more-of-the-same. Yes, it's a shitty move, but it's necessary to stay afloat and stay competitive.

And this corporate issue isn't exclusive to Blizzard. Seen the news on Arena.net recently?

[MoanaLisa]

they announced a mobile title as the next big thing for a pc franchise that they have abandoned

I doubt very much that Diablo on PC has been abandoned forever. Your feelings aren't facts. It's very disappointing when people make statements like this with no factual basis.

[Aeula]

Things have been going really bad for a few years. The last two to three has been the lowest point I’ve seen them at.

I’ve never known a company so utterly out of touch in every department from gameplay to story (Especially Story).

I hope their venture into the mobile market falls flat on its face and not even the mobile whales they’re after pick up their games.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Same as always.

They make games and I consume the ones (right now it's just 1) I enjoy. I feel more comfortable spending money on their titles than I do on new ones from other companies, even if it's outside of my preferred genre.

And no, they haven't been milking me of my monies, kidnapping my children or shitting on my life with their decisions, not in the past, not now. I give feedback to the things I dislike and hope they change, if they don't then it's a matter of whether they'll pile on enough negatives to overtake the positives.

[Big Thanks]

Same as always.

Same as always? The target audience shifted a long time ago thats for sure.
Its noticeable they are trying to "adapt to the market"

[Queen of Hamsters]

Same as always? The target audience shifted a long time ago thats for sure.
Its noticeable they are trying to "adapt to the market"

Yes, same as always. Was there a question?
The "target audience"-card changes depending on the person using it so not much to discuss.

[tripleh]

Things got sloppy when they branched away from there 3 main games. Wow, SC2, and Diablo. Sure having more options is nice but it took away from the other games that help start it all. Devs from wow switched to overwatch and other games. The main devs that kept the games fun and enjoyable got replaced by the current slackers/hacks that just want to do the bare amount of work. You already see cutbacks in terms of content being released with the recent wow patch. Did anyone really ask for the portal change? Or was it just an excuse by the devs to just waste time on something that wasn't a problem to beging with. Seems like they just did it only to add to the notes to make the patch seem full.

Can't wait for the next round of layoffs. Hoping some key devs are let go this time around. Alex, Danuser and maybe Ion, but if Lore got layed off would be hilarious. Of the 3 main games so far SC2 hasn't let me down yet. Still hoping for an mmo for it in the near future. Wow story sucks atm and narrative team only put out bad writing. Figured SC2 mmo would have better story to follow with.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Depends on who you are comparing them to in terms of rival game companies. What metrics are we using here?

Are we comparing to Fortnite/Apex? Are we comparing to other MMO's? Are we comparing to mobile games? Are we comparing to other games of the same genre?

Which games are not successful? The narrative as a whole is that Blizzard's games aren't doing well compared to other companies or reaching their own corporate goals, but that isn't to say the games themselves aren't successful or fun in their own right.

Have you played Overwatch? Would you say 'This game is bullshit and completely unfun'?

Have you played Hearthstone? Would you say 'This game is bullshit and completely unfun'?

It really depends on who you think their competitors are and what measure of success you are guaging. Starcraft 2, despite all its flaws and ill comparisons to SC1, is still one of the dominant RTS right now in the market. Diablo 3, despite its pitfalls, was a financial success and is still considered fun today by the players who are still playing. Heroes of the Storm, despite being able to topple or compete evenly with DOTA and LoL, is still the 3rd top MOBA in the market. The game is still fun and is still being updated, even if devs have shifted over.

I'm not being an apologist here, I'm literally explaining the current state of the games. Yes, players have shifted and moved on to other games, but this has always been the case since the very beginning. What does Blizzard do? They release new games, and those new games bring players back in. The fact is they haven't had a new big game release since Overwatch 2-3 years ago, and all their efforts were in maintaining their franchise fanbases. Now we know they are hunkering down and working on multiple big projects for the future.

So can they compete with other companies today? Absolutely, because that's what their top devs are focusing on right now. They're making the next big new IP. They're making the next big Diablo game; with many hints that they're learning from the mistakes of D3. Even with the shitty publicity Diablo Immortal got at Blizzcon and here in the west, it will be a huge potential success in the Asian market. Hell, people who actually played the game at Blizzcon said the game was actually fun, and I haven't actually seen or heard any first-hand reports that the game was bad; only people online comparing to an existing Netease mobile game (which they never played themselves, mind you). I don't take that as a valid claim that they are unable to compete in the market.

I don't think a knee jerk attempt at capitalizing on the next-best genre is what Blizzard should do to stay competitive. This whole narrative happened 5 years ago when WoW was already considered old People didn't have faith that Blizzard could make a new good game. Then Overwatch and Hearthstone proved everyone wrong. This isn't some lightning in a bottle, this is the product of having their developers creating and testing new concepts behind hidden doors.

- - - Updated - - -



The company was always corporate. And what you have to realize is what they did with the recent cutting-of-jobs was pour more resources into development for new games. That's what players actually want, not just more-of-the-same. Yes, it's a shitty move, but it's necessary to stay afloat and stay competitive.

And this corporate issue isn't exclusive to Blizzard. Seen the news on Arena.net recently?

You're making too much sense for the resident knee-jerk to handle.
Even companies hailed as the second coming on these very forums "VS Blizzard", face the exact same sort of criticisms on forums relating to their titles.

[chrisnumbers]

I can't think of too many better ones.

[Ashleyxoxo]

My phone is ready!

[Vineri]

I simply cannot wrap my head around Blizzards latest decision regarding portals, there are now over 8,500 responses to their last comments on the matter.

First you had the Diablo/Blizzcon fiasco, then their stock tanked, then old employees started ranting online about their disfunction, then some of their core streamers abandoned them, whicInstead of laying low, Blizzard doubles down by deciding to taint a major content patch with the news that portals, used by pretty much only the most die hard of players, are being removed after the better part of a decade because it will make the game more fun.h was followed up by sizeable layoffs.

Since the Diablo fiasco, there seems to be an undercurrent of opinion that Blizzard is disconnected from their playerbase. I have also read many times that they are making gameplay changes that would improve their performance metrics for shareholders. I do not think either of these things are true, but that is not what is relevant. What is relevant is that people are questioning WTF is happening at Blizzard.

I immensely enjoyed Legion. I have tried so hard to love BfA, I really have, I just don't. Whats worse is I do not know why, I just do not find it fun. I am having more fun leveling up charactors waiting for Classic, thats me though. If there are other players, who are finding things to do in WOW outside of BfA, why do anything to alienate them?

Blizzard is one of my favorite developers. I hope they are able to ease up on their pride and dogmatic ideology and give their players a win, by returning the portals. All this mayhem over nothing. It is mind boggling.

I was wondering other peoples thoughts on Blizzard at the moment.

What current players feel is what pissed off players during part of WotLK and Cataclysm and beyond. History repeating itself.

Activision-Blizzard wants new blood, not old blood. Old blood is essentially told to adapt or leave. Apparently, most stay.

New blood has a greater monetary future value than old blood. IMO, this is what Activision-Blizzard metrics departments shows.

And it kind of makes sense. New players are more apt to use the cash-shop to buy levels, pets, mounts, fluff. Whereas old players already have sutff, have max level alts, or otherwise refuse to spend further.

Old players get antiquated. Sorry!

(I saw the writing and unsubbed long ago; waiting for classic .. or will simply play other games - so many great games, so little time).

[Big Thanks]

Yes, same as always. Was there a question?
The "target audience"-card changes depending on the person using it so not much to discuss.

It doesnt depend on the person using that argument though.
Its common fact the target audience changed to accomodate casuals as best as possible.

Personal loot changes
not so complicated talents
not so complicated glyphs
not so complicated gems
not so complicated reforging
not so complicated class design
not so complicated rotations
LFR
Warfronts
faceroll leveling

We are literally playing "Not so Complicated World of Warcraft"

[Queen of Hamsters]

It doesnt depend on the person using that argument though.
Its common fact the target audience changed to accomodate casuals as best as possible.

Personal loot changes
not so complicated talents
not so complicated glyphs
not so complicated gems
not so complicated reforging
not so complicated class design
LFR
Warfronts
faceroll leveling

We are literally playing "Not so Complicated World of Warcraft"

Lol, imagine pretending that WoW was ever not a PG13 title nor released as the casual MMORPG.

If all you do is play at a casual level, then the game's simple. Always was, always will be. Yes, even during 1-button rotations, there were people so casual that they failed to understand how to optimize. Even 1-3 mechanic bosses had people fail miserably.

At least these days the attitude from up top about wearing the right stats and not being absolute garbage has trickled down somewhat. Try entering a semi-serious guild with the only argument being that you're max level today and prepare to be laughed out of the recruitment chat.

I also know that in order to stay competitive, I have a lot more personal responsibility now than I did a decade ago. Both in how I build my character and performance. Sometimes I wish the game was as "not complicated" as some make it out to be.

The game was never brain surgery though, no matter how much certain crowds like to pretend so to prop up their own egos (which made me seek out earlier iterations to hold them to their words). It'll be made apparent to the masses soon enough.