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  1. #1

    Blizzard's new MMO: the one thread.

    I have been following this gaming industry for 32 years and I have been tracking Blizzard games since the last 16 years.

    As a Blizzard follower since 2000: here is my prediction of the new MMO coming from Blizzard and based of what I saw in their latest technical advancements AND how Blizzard always builds upon earlier techniques in their previous games...


    1. It will be announced at BlizzCon in 2013. Even in a playable form.

    2. It will NOT be about science fiction nor a shooter MMO (too limited target audience, for example: women and elder people (40+) which are key players in present day MMO's and represent long term Blizzard fans).

    3. It will use a server cluster instead of single server play, based on phasing and regrouping of players like we see now in region wide play in both WOW and Diablo 3.

    4. It will have a region wide economy, no longer small server based. Not sure about RMAH, I guess that's a 50/50 option.

    5. It will have NO predefined factions (but it will certainly have guilds), because it would hamper player integration.

    6. It will have "levels" because D3 made it clear you need to include them to keep playing (paragon end game levels). It could be though that levels are no longer pure progression tools to advance to an "end game". Gear will still play a huge role in the overall progression.

    7. It will have tablet integration in parts of its playing features. (like mini games but with advancing avatar tools).

    8. It will be fully 3D like any normal MMO. Seamless open world will be standard. Probably no flying at the start, BUT full 3D rendered anyway unlike Vanilla WOW.

    9. It will NOT include open sandbox tools, because Blizzard produces competitive games not tool boxes.

    10. It will have PvP and PvE from the start and even the PvE will be competitive based (see Challenge modes) and supported by extensive profiles and Armory settings.

    11. It will be targeted at HARDCORE players along with CASUAL players.

    12. It will introduce a new quest/grind system based on advanced Monster Power strengths seen in D3 (patch 1.05). Set by players choices and probably based on personal phasing the solo play will be very challenging but can be tuned individually with harder/softer tuned mobs having more/less rewards.

    13. The avatars will still be very role defined (tank/healer/dps) but with lots of solo options in adaptable challenge modes (see point 12).

    14. It will have its own history but set in more modern times then WOW. Likely Period: late 19th Century with alternate history lines.

    15. It will have a multi subscription based system along with other Blizzard games (combo subs).

    16. It will gather the most deepened hate campaign at Metacritic months/weeks before launch.

    17. Wow players will be offered limited Beta access during the last year of Beta (starting in mid - late 2014 and announced in the last months of MoP).

    18. It will gather with ease more players in its first year than WOW.

    19. It will launch globally one year later then predicted, probably around mid - late 2016.

    20. It will generate a new massive interest in MMO play just like WOW did back in 2004. But this time with integrated tablet support and region wide play.

  2. #2
    High Overlord Akinaria's Avatar
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    Interesting predictions.
    I would like to see a late 19th century setting for a new mmo.

  3. #3
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    The only thing I don't understand is the tablet thingy. You mean like iPad or something? What does that has anything to do with a PC mmo?

  4. #4
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    Wait, there is a "gaming industry" for 32 years now? You can hardly call the business around games for Atari, Commodore and even very early "modern" computers an "industry". Either way, your observations and predictions seem to be nothing more than a sum-up of common sense and recurring history.

  5. #5
    The Unstoppable Force Chickat's Avatar
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    I hope most of what you said is true. that sounds awesome.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Soulus View Post
    The only thing I don't understand is the tablet thingy. You mean like iPad or something? What does that has anything to do with a PC mmo?
    Integration with auction house and AH like you currently can do in WoW i think is what's on his mind.

    Doubt it will be fully integrated to play, but as i said, somekind of a frontend overlay to support some features of the game
    "If everything is under control, you are going too slow."
    - Mario Andretti

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pj4ever View Post
    Integration with auction house and AH like you currently can do in WoW i think is what's on his mind.

    Doubt it will be fully integrated to play, but as i said, somekind of a frontend overlay to support some features of the game
    Oh, I see. Wouldn't it be better to do it again with smartphones? More people have them, instead of tablets. Or is it an issue that the tablets are being forced everywhere nowadays?

  8. #8
    Herald of the Titans Z3ROR's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Soulus View Post
    The only thing I don't understand is the tablet thingy. You mean like iPad or something? What does that has anything to do with a PC mmo?
    I think Blizzard knows that more people removed their pc from their living room for a tablet. Ofcourse blizzard wants to use that market as well. More people = more money.

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Soulus View Post
    Oh, I see. Wouldn't it be better to do it again with smartphones? More people have them, instead of tablets. Or is it an issue that the tablets are being forced everywhere nowadays?
    Okay, again, i think what he meant with tablets, were platforms such as Android and iOS.

    There is little to no different between a tablet and a smartphone running the same OS, except for the phone part .

    Hope it cleared it up for you
    "If everything is under control, you are going too slow."
    - Mario Andretti

  10. #10
    Deleted
    A lot of those predictions seem totally random and based on nothing.

    Like
    It will launch globally one year later then predicted, probably around mid - late 2016.

  11. #11
    Will be interesting to see how on the mark you are

    If you are right feel free to come and gloat

    are you gonna be a nate silver or a karl rove LOL

  12. #12
    Deleted
    I call it BS

  13. #13
    I stopped reading after... Started following blizzard games in 2000 and been following for 16 years... well it's not 2016 so call BS
    ...Made it through 9 years of wow...

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by BenBos View Post

    9. It will NOT include open sandbox tools, because Blizzard produces competitive games not tool boxes.
    Exactly how is Bliizard games competitive? If you mean E-sport wise, the only game(s) they have ever put out are SC and SC2. WoW is not competitive in any way, and D3 is not either. Gear, and "flavour of the month" plays a way too big role. Also the games are class based and balancing 11 classes is a lot harder than 3 factions like in SC2. And lets be honest, the development team for WoW have sucked at balancing PvP/pve alike.

  15. #15
    Going to be interesting what kind of game it's going to be.

    It's hanging on a loose thread for me atm, a major reason I play WoW is beacuse I really like the lore of it (seeing as I loved wc3 wich I guess many did).

    It's always kinda sad when I try another mmo that I can't pick the WoW races, have grown so fond of them.


    Thanks to Stanton Biston for the amazing sig!

  16. #16
    The Unstoppable Force Chickat's Avatar
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    So do you think its going to be a wild west game?

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Gnowo View Post
    Wait, there is a "gaming industry" for 32 years now? You can hardly call the business around games for Atari, Commodore and even very early "modern" computers an "industry". Either way, your observations and predictions seem to be nothing more than a sum-up of common sense and recurring history.
    The video gaming industry started as early as PONG...with a home version being released in 1975 ...

    So actually it has been 37 years.

    I called it 32 years since the grandfather of video game home computers - the ATARI 400/800 computers were launched around 1980. These were home computers but had an awesome number of features/chips that were taken directly from arcade machines, like the Pokey sound chip and the player missile graphics system and dynamic graphics mapping (you defined parts of its memory as the background graphics which allowed for smooth and fast scrolling - new at that time).

    These home computers sold by the millions and I am not even talking about the Atari 2600 consoles, which generated a multi billion dollar industry at the time.
    Last edited by BenBos; 2012-11-13 at 10:54 PM.

  18. #18
    Dreadlord
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nindoriel View Post
    A lot of those predictions seem totally random and based on nothing.

    Like
    based on nothing? that is the most obvious one of the bunch. it is based on blizzards past history, its undeniable.
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  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Zogarth View Post
    Exactly how is Bliizard games competitive? If you mean E-sport wise, the only game(s) they have ever put out are SC and SC2. WoW is not competitive in any way, and D3 is not either. Gear, and "flavour of the month" plays a way too big role. Also the games are class based and balancing 11 classes is a lot harder than 3 factions like in SC2. And lets be honest, the development team for WoW have sucked at balancing PvP/pve alike.
    I would quote Rob Pardo for this:

    "The concept here is to keep game play simple in terms of mechanics and objectives, but design the game in a way that the challenges scale with the ability of play. Pardo stated that Blizzard is focusing more on designing for multiplayer games first now, rather than single player, so they design for the multiplayer aspects, giving games a lot of depth so that players won't get bored with it."

    Your view of E-sport is too limited. Blizzard wants a multi player experience with challenge, whatever the content...

    Like the latest world championships of Blizzard includes now Challenge modes within PVE dungeons. It is PVE content BUT with a multi player challenge on top of it. PVE becomes even now a kind of PvP competition.

    The Armory and competitions serve to put everything in challenge modes - even in PVE.

  20. #20
    Deleted
    My predictions:

    1. "Social networking" integration everywhere. Either through Facebook etc. or through a massive overhaul of battle.net.

    2. Real money purchasing everywhere. Everything will be designed from ground up to maximize revenues from non-subscription sources. They might go as far as not requiring a subscription or having one battle.net subscription that covers (and is required for) all games.

    3. Will be completely aimed at the casual market with minigames and "everyone gets everything" approach. Might do some lip-service to "hardcore" gamers, but there won't be any actual content for them.

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