BlizzConline Thread [Discussion]

[Toybox]

We couldn't have really known that back then though.

If you asked people if they would like nothing or something I imagine they would prefer something being available instead of absolutely nothing.

Nothing about Diablo Immortal deserves that much hate it is just a game not made for Western audiences.

Diablo Immortal could have been announced, followed by people accepting it as its own thing and not really caring, which would be a better outcome than the Diablo IV announcement being the title and absolutely nothing else.

We absolutely could have. I reckon the overwhelming majority of Diablo fans would've predicted that sort of reaction to the Immortal trailer, so why didn't Blizzard? Are they really that clueless?

I'm not saying it deserved the hate, but that reaction was inevitable.

[lolmmofuture]

So like... a Dark Souls-esque game in a Diablo seting? Sweet.

yup, thats what it was going to be, and in 3rd person

[Kolvarg]

honestly.. I think its only going to be more. Lets be honest people have their phones 24/7. Always available, close by, always online etc.

Yea, sadly it's a strong possibility, but there's not much we can do other than hope for the best, and worst case simply start looking at other developers who do still focus on PC.

Speaking of wow on multiple platforms.. how is your view on that? Just curious.

I'm not sure. First because I don't know whether the statement in the investor call means that they're planning to bring World of Warcraft, as a game, to consoles, or simply to release new mobile/multiplatform games in the Warcraft universe.

That second I think is only a matter of time (surprised there still isn't a "Warcraft GO" of some kind). Some might even be fun. But it highly depends on what it is and how it's done, particularly how it's monetized.

WoW on consoles - as long as it doesn't impact PC gameplay and future design choices, I have no problem with. While I certainly don't see myself playing with a controller on a Mythic dungeon or a raid, or pvp, I can see just questing alone and leveling up being fairly fun to play on a controller. So if it just results in more people playing and doesn't impact PC, I'm all up for it.

[rrayy]

Is that confirmed? I saw "Multiple initiatives underway to experience WoW on a more consistent basis and on more platforms than ever before." & took it as either meaning mobile/console or the Apple M1 chip, but no idea either way.

Only interested in 9.1 news besides that. D2:R would be nice, but I don't expect it. D4 is too far away to care, Blizzard killed their RTS releases, and nothing else they do interests me.

It's not confir,ed. EVeryone who says it are spinnign what Blizzard actually said to fit what they want. as you quoted:

"Multiple initiatives underway to experience WoW on a more consistent basis and on more platforms than ever before."

Far more likely means they are referring to the Warcraft universe, not WOrld of Warcraft. So, what would be coming to consoles would be new games under the Warcraft IP, not WoW.

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WoW on consoles - as long as it doesn't impact PC gameplay and future design choices, I have no problem with. While I certainly don't see myself playing with a controller on a Mythic dungeon or a raid, or pvp, I can see just questing alone and leveling up being fairly fun to play on a controller. So if it just results in more people playing and doesn't impact PC, I'm all up for it.

IT's would kill the game. The console players don't interact with the PC players so you would be splitting the player base. That will impact PC players.

[Kolvarg]

IT's would kill the game. The console players don't interact with the PC players so you would be splitting the player base. That will impact PC players.

Isn't that what everyone said about Classic? Seems to be working fine for Blizzard so far.

Ultimately WoW is highly scalable. Some PC players being "taken away" will not really impact PC players on a larger scale other than personal cases of "my friend used to play with me but now he plays on console" - because you don't need access to that many players to have the experience you have today, especially in today's WoW where almost everything is cross-realm.

And this is, of course, assuming that console players wouldn't be able to interact with PC players. It highly depends on how exactly it is implemented.

[Doffen]

Like always before blizzcon:


A must watch

[rrayy]

Isn't that what everyone said about Classic? Seems to be working fine for Blizzard so far.

Ultimately WoW is highly scalable. Some PC players being "taken away" will not really impact PC players on a larger scale other than personal cases of "my friend used to play with me but now he plays on console" - because you don't need access to that many players to have the experience you have today, especially in today's WoW where almost everything is cross-realm.

And this is, of course, assuming that console players wouldn't be able to interact with PC players. It highly depends on how exactly it is implemented.

Classic is a re-release of an already existing game and those players played for nostalgia. It was two different games. Not the case with Consoles. You are either going to play it on PC or consoles, not both as it is two versions of the exact same game. The game already looks dead. having a second version will make that even worse since you will have split the player base.

[Toybox]

Like always before blizzcon:


A must watch

Never really enjoyed any of the big US talk shows, but Conan is always a laugh.

[Redroniksre]

It's not confir,ed. EVeryone who says it are spinnign what Blizzard actually said to fit what they want. as you quoted:

"Multiple initiatives underway to experience WoW on a more consistent basis and on more platforms than ever before."

Far more likely means they are referring to the Warcraft universe, not WOrld of Warcraft. So, what would be coming to consoles would be new games under the Warcraft IP, not WoW.

- - - Updated - - -

IT's would kill the game. The console players don't interact with the PC players so you would be splitting the player base. That will impact PC players.

I don't think they need to really separate them. FFXIV doesn't separate its playerbase as far as i know and they do console implementation pretty damn well. All depends if Blizzard is willing to put in the work to make the game actually function well on console since FFXIV was designed from the ground up for it.

[Doffen]

Never really enjoyed any of the big US talk shows, but Conan is always a laugh.

Yeah, he is the one I enjoy too, love the guy

[Orby]

better spam "Dreamhaven" and "Frost Giant Studios" if there's nothing for Reforged

I really do hope that through them they'll make some return to the RTS format with some nice storytelling to boot. Its safe to bet that Blizzard don't want anything to do with that genre anymore. Not that I can blame them too much the genre isn't afire like it used to be but boy I can only play the Definitive Edition of Age of Empires for so long lol

[Makabreska]

I really do hope that through them they'll make some return to the RTS format with some nice storytelling to boot. Its safe to bet that Blizzard don't want anything to do with that genre anymore. Not that I can blame them too much the genre isn't afire like it used to be but boy I can only play the Definitive Edition of Age of Empires for so long lol

StarCraft is the only hope, but I wouldn't count to hard for a new RTS game.

[Orby]

StarCraft is the only hope, but I wouldn't count to hard for a new RTS game.

I do worry that Blizzard maybe are done with Starcraft now and are just draining out Starcraft 2 while it lasts. I am getting super nostalgic for that 1995 - 2005 era of RTS games.

[Sondrelk]

We absolutely could have. I reckon the overwhelming majority of Diablo fans would've predicted that sort of reaction to the Immortal trailer, so why didn't Blizzard? Are they really that clueless?

I'm not saying it deserved the hate, but that reaction was inevitable.

I don't believe that. Firstly you have to remember that you are looking back at it with the knowledge of what happened, in which case it wil always seem like a bad decision. Even more so when you know that the yar after had the Diablo IV trailer.

Just try to place yourself in the shoes of the people in charge. You have 2 distinct options.

A. Nothing Diablo related, at best you can show a title and tell people to wait longer while you give dedicated fans absolutely nothing to discuss. Even more so if oyu consider that there might be Diablo fans who solely play Diablo and buy the ticket to learn more, essentially getting nothing but a logo for the price of admission would be pretty shitty on Blizzards part.

B. Show Diablo Immortal despite it likely not getting massively positive reactions. You will have to stomach those who dislike microtransactions, but you will be able to squeeze out a solid amounmt of panels on everything about it from art, music or some gameplay, playable demos included.


essentially Blizzard had to choose between a guaranteed chance of at least some disappointment, including almost guaranteed complaints from the diehard Diablo community that had convinced itself Diablo IV would be announced (which in itself was a large part of the issue with the Immortal reveal).
Or reveal Diablo Immortal. You do give Diablo fans something, even if it isnt necessarily what they want, and you have a small chance of it going over well, in which case good will for the Diablo devs would skyrocket when they announce Diablo IV the year after.

Blizzard was by all accounts stuck between a rock and a hard place. Neither option is particularly tempting when you know you have a giant expo hall filled with hardcore Diablo fans, and while with the benefit of hindsight we can say Blizzard made the wrong choice it is not really fair to assume Blizzard would have known at the time.

[Toybox]

I do worry that Blizzard maybe are done with Starcraft now and are just draining out Starcraft 2 while it lasts.

Same. With Blizzard now dead & C&C long since gone there really is little hope left for the RTS genre unless a Valve/Riot decide they want to fill that void in the market.

I don't believe that. Firstly you have to remember that you are looking back at it with the knowledge of what happened, in which case it wil always seem like a bad decision. Even more so when you know that the yar after had the Diablo IV trailer.

Just try to place yourself in the shoes of the people in charge. You have 2 distinct options.

A. Nothing Diablo related, at best you can show a title and tell people to wait longer while you give dedicated fans absolutely nothing to discuss. Even more so if oyu consider that there might be Diablo fans who solely play Diablo and buy the ticket to learn more, essentially getting nothing but a logo for the price of admission would be pretty shitty on Blizzards part.

B. Show Diablo Immortal despite it likely not getting massively positive reactions. You will have to stomach those who dislike microtransactions, but you will be able to squeeze out a solid amounmt of panels on everything about it from art, music or some gameplay, playable demos included.


essentially Blizzard had to choose between a guaranteed chance of at least some disappointment, including almost guaranteed complaints from the diehard Diablo community that had convinced itself Diablo IV would be announced (which in itself was a large part of the issue with the Immortal reveal).
Or reveal Diablo Immortal. You do give Diablo fans something, even if it isnt necessarily what they want, and you have a small chance of it going over well, in which case good will for the Diablo devs would skyrocket when they announce Diablo IV the year after.

Blizzard was by all accounts stuck between a rock and a hard place. Neither option is particularly tempting when you know you have a giant expo hall filled with hardcore Diablo fans, and while with the benefit of hindsight we can say Blizzard made the wrong choice it is not really fair to assume Blizzard would have known at the time.

I am saying it with the power of hindsight I know, but I truly believe it. If you went on any major Diablo fan forum before the event & told them "they're not announcing anything to do with Diablo IV but are instead going to build up the Diablo stage hype for the reveal of a Chinese reskin mobile game" the whole place would think they'd lost their minds.

Diablo IV was always coming, & the post on the front page at the time all but confirmed it, but when they're building up the stage presence of Diablo like they did even the people who saw that front page news post can be forgiven for letting their expectations run riot.

The reaction is undoubtedly 100% on Blizzard. I'm not a diehard Diablo fan by any means, but if you had asked me how that reveal would go, I could've told you.

If they hype up Starcraft at BC & it turns out to be some shitty mobile game, you don't think Blizzard would be able to see that shitstorm coming in advance? Of course they should be able to, but who knows anymore

[Sondrelk]

StarCraft is the only hope, but I wouldn't count to hard for a new RTS game.

Maybe one day we can start to dream of a Warcraft 4.

It would be perfect for some bridging game between the end of WoW and a hypothetical WoW 2.0. But I would love to have a Warcraft game that essentially just acts as a recap for all the events of WoW. The most significant raids, important Alliance v. Horde battles. Things like that.

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Same. With Blizzard now dead & C&C long since gone there really is little hope left for the RTS genre unless a Valve/Riot decide they want to fill that void in the market.



I am saying it with the power of hindsight I know, but I truly believe it. If you went on any major Diablo fan forum before the event & told them "they're not announcing anything to do with Diablo IV but are instead going to build up the Diablo stage hype for the reveal of a Chinese reskin mobile game" the whole place would think they'd lost their minds.

Diablo IV was always coming, & the post on the front page at the time all but confirmed it, but when they're building up the stage presence of Diablo like they did even the people who saw that front page news post can be forgiven for letting their expectations run riot.

The reaction is undoubtedly 100% on Blizzard. I'm not a diehard Diablo fan by any means, but if you had asked me how that reveal would go, I could've told you.

If they hype up Starcraft at BC & it turns out to be some shitty mobile game, you don't think Blizzard would be able to see that shitstorm coming in advance? Of course they should be able to, but who knows anymore

The hype was mostly on the community though. I distinctly remember several posts by Blizzard trying to decrease hype in preparation for the Diablo panels simply because teh community had become convinced that Blizzard was going to announce Diablo IV.

Regardless Diablo Immortal was kind of a shitty situation all around. My personal theory is that Blizzard was planning on revelaing Diablo IV, but when they had nothing to really show they decided to isntead push Diablo Immortal a bit more to fill the space. It was likely meant to be more of a footnote in the presence of the much more anticipated Diablo IV, but when that part got pulled all the dissapointment got placed on Diablo Immortal.

[Makabreska]

I do worry that Blizzard maybe are done with Starcraft now and are just draining out Starcraft 2 while it lasts. I am getting super nostalgic for that 1995 - 2005 era of RTS games.

Eh, SC was one of the main cornerstones of creating a cybersport. That can't be taken away, even if the genre is not popular any more.

[Orby]

Maybe one day we can start to dream of a Warcraft 4.
.

After the state of Reforged I fear it put the nail in the coffin of Blizzard doing another RTS. Blizzard answer to shareholders and publishers now, they may see Reforged as a failure and keep them on track of doing what all the popular kids are doing.

[Forteofgray]

I'd like to know more about the druid for diablo 4. I'm hoping their transformation skills can be totally ignored. I like the druid in D4 but I always go wind and summon. not big on transform classes.

[Lady Atia]

I'm interested in knowing if the cosmetics from Overwatch will be usable in Overwatch 2? Right now, that's kind of the deciding factor for me whether I get on of the Celebration bundles or not.

They already said that cosmetics and heroes will carry over.