Ughhh board games = boring
I wonder if he will create the board games for the PC games of Dreamhaven
I've never gotten too much into the hardcore tabletop scene. I've done rpg tabletop campaigns, but low-budget and more using the power of imagination than wallet. The stuff is incredibly cool. But having to spend thousands on a real Warhammer-type table setup is a pretty big barrier to entry to the hardcore tabletop gaming.
But then again maybe that's the business opportunity he sees. If real quality tabletop gaming could be made more affordable so that it is more accessible to the masses that would be a (no pun intended) game changer.
Separate from the game aspect, I will say that a pandemic is probably the worst time to start a business where the product requires in-person group gatherings. But he's been semi-involved for a couple years now so it looks like Metzen is taking the long view on it. I'm just glad I got to see him in-person at Blizzcon a couple years ago before he left.
Wildstar had a pretty long list of issues, the fact that they wanted to focus on the hardcore audience was the nail in the coffin.
Wildstar is a convenient argument from a lot of more casual players why the hardcore approach doesn't work, yet fail to realize that the game didn't even manage to make a serious dent into the hardcore audience of WoW.
Or have you ever heard of hardcore guilds dying in droves during WoD (of all the expansions!) to switch over to Wildstar?
If the game was actually good, it should have at least won over their target audience from WoW, shouldn't it?
There is a lot more to the "Classic approach" than 40man raiding, attunements (which weren't even a big deal in Classic) and overly difficult encounters (which, as we've seen now, actually could be easily overcome).
I think WoW at this point has become more and more reliant on MTX to pick up the loss of subs, so calling it a "much better business model" can only be seen as a relative statement.
If you want to believe the old approach doesn't work, fair enough, but i don't think that WoW is on the right path currently and part of that problem is that the current game no longer has a real target audience.
Which makes it incredibly difficult to design the game because you constantly have to watch out for everybodies pet issues while every sort of content must somehow work for everybody.
When you look at Classic, you can at least say that it appeals to people who enjoy MMO's, because it features a ton of mechanics that encourage social interaction, while at the same time it clearly put a heavy emphasis on its RPG aspects, such as support niches, varied profession system, keeping older content relevant rather than <current tier> and so forth.
Starting to see a trend with the former employees starting new companies.
I feel like he'd probably only do this if he had control over the IP or maybe a deep attachment to it. I don't see him being creatively fulfilled just making tie-in projects for someone else's worlds.
I think that Scott Johnson (The Instance podcast) was going to have another interview with him soon. Probably will shed more light on this.
Oh... we got so many 'mature' people here memeing on board games...
I've got +40 in my collection and playing them with IRL friends is one of the best ways to spend time for me.
Metzen was always a controversial figure to me, but he'll always have a special place in my heart. I hope he does well for himself with this new project.
Still not made enough money in life? Living for the money? Unable to just live, enjoying life, family and friends? Money above everything? Pathetic!
ActiBlizz: You'll come back! Hearthstone is the undisputed king of tabletop gaming! *shakes fist*
It is the inane nature of humans that makes them see causation in correlation.
This thread is such a grand example of that fact. And the pettiness of people on MMO-C, obviously. Pah.
That was one of the worst company reveals I've ever seen.
Also, why is he hanging out with 20ish people mid pandemic? Bummer to see one of my gaming idols be a part of the problem and not the solution :/