Kotaku - Warcraft Version of Pokemon Go Rumor, New Islands Preview in Patch 8.1

[Kallisto]

Blizzard can release tons of mobile games if they want, as long as they actually release games I'll play on PC I'm fine with it.

That sir is what we call being reasonable. I'm going to have to ask you to leave.

[javierdsv]

Mobile games are the future, if you don't like them, well that's up to you, they will still swim in money.

[Doombringer]

Morhaime stepping down was definitely a big shift. I worry he was privy to a lot of changes happening/about to happen within the company, and he wouldn't have it.

Definitely losing anyone from the "old guard" will hurt the company as a whole. Metzen stepping down, now Morhaime. Looking at Pearce and Didier now... :/

As for mobile... Blizz has never been about quantity over quality and this feels like they're moving in the wrong direction. Farming their IP out to another developer would have been blasphemy in 90's Blizzard. Saturating the markets with their IP also seems off-kilter for them as a studio. Do we need a Warcraft Go? I think the playerbase for Warcraft has only shrunk in the past decade, not grown to support a MMO *and* Mobile game.

[Absintheminded]

This news is amazing....ly bad!

[Gempalm]

This wasn't taken off the front page yet? I wonder how much MMO-C was paid for this :/

[Ibbi]

Back during WotLK sometime, a guildy and I were theorizing what WoW would be like at the end of the decade. We thought VR would take over, and we would be immersed first-person in Azeroth as our characters. Neat stuff.

But, here comes 2019 and this is what they deliver.

[Azgraal]

It had better be called World of Walkcraft.

Every single thing would be forgiven in my book, if they did do that.

[Chickat]

Excited to see Blizzard crash and burn. I think it's long overdue. Same for Bioware. These companies no longer represent the same values that they did 15 years ago and if they pay a price for their betrayal of their original fanbase, maybe other businesses would understand the dangers of doing that.

So go Blizz, make Warcraftmon Go.

You realize they no longer hold the same values due to their parent company right? I doubt Bioware or Blizzard would be going down this path if they were independent.

[docterfreeze]

Is cd project red the only "legit" company still aroud???

Larian is still good

[Crookids]

Really depressing stuff.

What is it with big conpanies and their uncanny ability to “fix” what isn’t broken? Stock prices were on a steady rise. The more Activision got involved, the more the company starts on a downward spiral including reputation.

I truly hope Blizzard can peak it’s head out of this before most of the founders and originals scatter to the wind or open another studio.

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Excited to see Blizzard crash and burn. I think it's long overdue. Same for Bioware. These companies no longer represent the same values that they did 15 years ago and if they pay a price for their betrayal of their original fanbase, maybe other businesses would understand the dangers of doing that.

So go Blizz, make Warcraftmon Go.

What a moronic and willfully ignorant comment. It’s not Blizzard that’s the problem, it’s activioson. You’re literally wishing failure on those who likely wish they never mergered and are still passionate about the studio. Why do you think Mike Morhaim stepped down? Let’s hope the new CEO who is also a veteran sees some moves he can make.

As for the company “crashing and burning”, that’s the problem. These new implementations and monetary schemes are too successful. As long as people don’t vote with their wallet and let them know that this new-breed of platform is not welcome in the industry so many of us are/were passionate about before it became so popular and the billionaire scumbag companies noticed they could take advantage of that love — nothing will change.

Vote with your damn wallet. Perpetuating ignorance will not help. Educate others on how they can help by keeping their wallets closed to MTs and nonsensical/politically driven “causes”.

[Laerrus]

I am not saying that it won't attract new players to Blizzard, but I sure as hell won't be playing it.

Playing a game on a tiny ass screen with shit controls is not the same as playing it from the comfort of your own home PC.

So Blizz, go down this bullshit mobile route but you also better be planning to expand into PC based AR/VR, that is where the future of home gaming lies.

[sam86]

To reach new people and create new fanbases.

do u know any loyal mobile gaming fanbase ? or even good ? mobile 'gamers' are the most casual who don't give a sh8t about anything and do that mostly as to just waste time at work faking working or in traffic
the only reason mobile gaming is growing is because how cheap it is and u'll make profit because they cost near nothing (not counting marketing, i talk about game itself)

[Mayia]

We do, they're all the junior devs whom Blizz pays in HotS skins and forces to compete for credit to the company cafeteria so they can eat something more nutritious than cup noodles and Mountain Dew and Blizzard gets away with it because they know working at Blizz is seen as a "dream job" to aspiring game devs.

I bet that and everything i've heard from being a dev (really blows and)leaves you with really low amounts of free time which wont help them play something like classic, but BFA is much condensed however i doubt very many really play it because its still pretty heavy time investment but it'd be great if we could see some devs start to play the game again, might encourage them to make it better for their behalf and ours.

[kamuimac]

I am not saying that it won't attract new players to Blizzard, but I sure as hell won't be playing it.

Playing a game on a tiny ass screen with shit controls is not the same as playing it from the comfort of your own home PC.

So Blizz, go down this bullshit mobile route but you also better be planning to expand into PC based AR/VR, that is where the future of home gaming lies.

but its perfect to play :

1)on toilet
2)on school break
3)while waiting for X/Y,Z
4)in work
5)on bus/train etc

why do you think people play mobile games ?

that said initial versions of mobile consoles like gameboy etc had much smaller screens and abysmal graphics yet tell me you didnt play it in school as teenager unless you were adoult there . because i spend ton of hours playing stuff like pokemon red and other games on this and never thought that screen was not big enough .

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Because the wrong people got into positions of power within the company, and as a result the primary driver moved from making great games to making money. This is why BA bought King - so they could leverage existing success by pushing their existing franchises into mobile.

As to why mobile is the money maker, it has to do with the developing markets such as China, India, and other huge population centers where everyone has a smart phone, but few have a gaming PC. It's really sad. Just because there is a huge market in mobile, does not mean Blizz needed to go there. They could have remained king of the hill in high quality PC gaming.

stop spreading this nonsense.

mobile gaming is beating every other gaming all around the world.

you know why ? because teens are playing on mobiles.

who the f... cares about 30 year old dinosaurs . youth are the future of gaming and youth want mobile games.

[Merie]

I understand the big CEOs and board director wanting this. But the article says the devs themselves are excited about this. Which honestly, only make me think that maybe Blizzard started recruiting damn casuals that do not reflect at all the Blizzard playerbase.

Frankly I think that's a load of crap. Same as when Gamestop would be closed on Thanksgiving citing they want their staff to be with their families, up to now when they said they'd open claiming their employees "begged" them to do it.

[Zantos]

Lol how shall they confirm something or not that is not even stated. You gotta squeeze a confirmation or denial out of them with articles Like this one.

Wait for an actual announcement? You don't squeeze nothing out of them. They will either respond or just ignore it and not care. Seems its the later of the choices.

[Eapoe]

After my initial question was failed to be answered realistically, here’s a part 2:
Why is everyone assuming Blizz moving into mobile gaming means they are done making PC content? Last few pages I’ve seen quite a few posts insinuating people are worried about that.
Did Blizz stop making content for WoW when Hearthstone was released? Did they stop making content for D3, Hearthstone, and HotS when OW came about?
Blizz expanding into new markets doesn’t mean they are giving up their older market areas; but, considering genres like MMORPGs are slowly on the way out as well as games like D3 having revolving door content it’s clear to see why they want to get into new territory. Especially one as lucrative as mobile gaming where profits are concerned.

[IIamaKing]

do u know any loyal mobile gaming fanbase ? or even good ? mobile 'gamers' are the most casual who don't give a sh8t about anything and do that mostly as to just waste time at work faking working or in traffic
the only reason mobile gaming is growing is because how cheap it is and u'll make profit because they cost near nothing (not counting marketing, i talk about game itself)

Pretty sure the mobile gamers of the US are not comparable to the mobile gamers of China. Which, obviously, all this mobile shit is aimed at.

[therealbowser]

"Blizzard employees say one of the biggest ongoing conversations this year has been cutting costs."

"The perception is that Activision is starting to get more and more involved with Blizzard because 2018 had been a weak year for them."

"Mike Morhaime stepping down was a big blow because he was seen as the Anti-CEO and just wanted to make good games and keep employees happy without worrying about profitability."

I am glad Activision is at least clearing up our perceptions since someone might otherwise assume that they aren't intentionally milking this cow until it's dry. Only the bottom line matters, right? Quality is irrelevant now to Activision, it's fairly blatant that they do not value good game development. It's not shocking that they feel this way; what's shocking is that they are so full of themselves that they would say so as directly and bluntly as this. It's like they aren't even trying to pretend they are trying to make quality games.

The stuff I have seen lately is more disheartening than anything I have witnessed in Blizzard's entire lifespan (at least, since I was watching; which began just before Warcraft III's initial release). The only thing I can genuinely say that I am interested in or excited in in the near future is Warcraft III Reforged; a remaster of a classic game. Well, there's still that, at least, right? Even Battle for Azeroth--which I have supported directly--is starting to really disappoint and underwhelm me (long before these announcements, the future content in Blizzcon was rather underwhelming and the level of backtracking lately amazes even me--is it good or bad?).

For the first time since Blizzard and Activision first merged (alongside that forum real ID bullshit) I am genuinely concerned for the future of Blizzard. Not in terms of a belief they will go bankrupt, but rather, that the magic that went into Blizzard is going to die. Their comment as to why Mike stepped down really killed it for me. I feel genuinely disgusted continuing to support them, and I don't normally react overly emotionally to this kind of thing. Blizzard isn't noble by any means but I loved their games and game development style. What's left, now? The future has never seemed so bleak for Blizzard. I sincerely hope I'm wrong...

PS: With how many people are leaving Blizzard and all this talk of cutting costs, it really is not shocking at all that they are losing long-term employees at such a high rate, is it? I wonder if Mike actually did step down and was not merely strongly recommended to do so. I certainly can't blame him if he did...

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After my initial question was failed to be answered realistically, here’s a part 2:
Why is everyone assuming Blizz moving into mobile gaming means they are done making PC content? Last few pages I’ve seen quite a few posts insinuating people are worried about that.
Did Blizz stop making content for WoW when Hearthstone was released? Did they stop making content for D3, Hearthstone, and HotS when OW came about?
Blizz expanding into new markets doesn’t mean they are giving up their older market areas; but, considering genres like MMORPGs are slowly on the way out as well as games like D3 having revolving door content it’s clear to see why they want to get into new territory. Especially one as lucrative as mobile gaming where profits are concerned.

I should comment that my concerns in this post don't even correlate to the mobile gaming movement. I dislike playing most mobile games, but I don't hate them, nor do I assume that Blizzard is going to stop developing PC games just because they are working on some mobile ones. It's not like Diablo IV was canceled because of this mobile game that I'll almost certainly never play.

It's just not the core issue here, at least not to me.

[silverdragon234]

Come on, peaople. We all know Blizzard would never make mobile games, 'cause phones cannot allow gaming.