Blizzard hiring an Associate Game Director

[Sluvs]

Interesting, this could mean several things, like ion transitioning to another role in the future, they looking for some new ideas and whatnot.

I just hope they get someone who can actually add to the proccess, I'm sure the game could use some new ideas and directions to work better, but, to be honest, what they really need is a beefier Q&A department.

[Asrialol]

Cause his last two expansion have been an outstanding success

He's personally responsible for everything that has to do with BFA and SL after all.

[Aucald]

Let's pivot away from the game vs. game arguments (e.g. WoW vs. FF14) and return to the actual topic at hand concerning Blizzard's new Associate Game Director position.

[Polybius]

Surefire way of having a dead game instantly. Listening to players is very bad, just take a look at the majority of 'wishes' and 'ideas' on how to save the game that pop around MMO-C on a daily basis.

I'm pretty happy with 'modern' WoW (Legion onwards), and besides a couple of minor issues with some of the systems (azerite obtainability at BFA launch), i'm hoping they follow the path next expansions. End game has been a lot of fun.

Many features we have today were once wishes and ideas posted in the past. They were reflective of the creativity behind the game; the devs actually immersed themselves in their own game and let their imagination run wild. That creativity no longer exists, save for the art team.

Modern WoW doesn't know what it wants to be, it's a game that is all talk but no show. It's a bot that has no concept of fun but tries to quantify it.

ot: Hoping this turns out good for the health of the game.

[rhorle]

Many features we have today were once wishes and ideas posted in the past. They were reflective of the creativity behind the game; the devs actually immersed themselves in their own game and let their imagination run wild. That creativity no longer exists, save for the art team.

That still exists today the same as it did before. The problem is you don't exist the same as you did before so now you have to find all of these reasons to explain it rather then simply that your tastes and needs in a game has changed.

[Cosmic Janitor]

Surefire way of having a dead game instantly. Listening to players is very bad, just take a look at the majority of 'wishes' and 'ideas' on how to save the game that pop around MMO-C on a daily basis.

I'm sure listening to your customers is the worst, after all No Man's Sky and Sea of Thieves died even faster after they started listening. And those modding communities, damn, minecraft and skyrim died immediately after player ideas found their way into the game, no one even knows those games ever existed today.

Seriously though, no one is asking that they listen to every bit of feedback, given the sample size there is obviously going to be retards in any crowd of that size. Even all the feedback of one person who has a point in one way does not mean all their points are correct. This forum is indeed a nice example of that, but as an intelligent person you shoudl be able to filter the naked hobos masturbating on the street corner from people that have legitimate solutions. But one thing is for certain, if they only listen to people that blow sugar up their asses they aren't going to improve anything.

[Sentynel]

Because the man needs replacement.

So you can blatantly blame the next guy?

[Relapses]

But one thing is for certain, if they only listen to people that blow sugar up their asses they aren't going to improve anything.

There's a difference between, "Hey Blizzard, here's a problem. Here's why it's a problem. Here's a possible solution," and "LOL fucking dumbass game devs don't even play the game." The majority of feedback here falls into the latter camp and when you try to provide feedback resembling something in the former camp people simply don't engage with it and it gets buried in between the 800 replies of people congratulating one another for their super hot takes about Blizzard developers being functionally retarded.

[tru]

I think Ion would be better as an encounter designer solely rather then a lead myself.

Didn't that used to be his role when Greg was there?

[Relapses]

Didn't that used to be his role when Greg was there?

Yep.

[Soon-TM]

So you can blatantly blame the next guy?

If the next guy (or girl, perhaps) does the same BS than Ion, (s)he will be blamed as well. Conversely, if (s)he manages to pull off another Legion, minus the obvious f*ckups of wildly imbalanced Legiondaries or early AP, praise will come out naturally.

[Echo of Soul]

Good. They need someone to constantly walk next to Ion and say "keep it simple, no more systems" every 30 seconds to keep him from screwing up the game further.

[Dracullus]

Surefire way of having a dead game instantly. Listening to players is very bad, just take a look at the majority of 'wishes' and 'ideas' on how to save the game that pop around MMO-C on a daily basis.

I'm pretty happy with 'modern' WoW (Legion onwards), and besides a couple of minor issues with some of the systems (azerite obtainability at BFA launch), i'm hoping they follow the path next expansions. End game has been a lot of fun.

Titanforging, even warforging is gone.
There is weekly cap on current 'artifact power', in 9.1 it's doable in 5 minutes with right quests.
PVP vendor.
Targetable legendaries.
Some old abitilies returned to classes.
Streamlined leveling (anyone remember how painful 60-80 was from 7.3.5?).

'They didn't listen'

And by the way, I think most of this changes were bad ones, some thankfully get better in 9.1 (but sadly you get first impression of expac once).

Didn't that used to be his role when Greg was there?

Greg wasn't game director, after Kaplan it was Chilton job. And if you think current communication is bad.. we had like 1 interview with Chilton between WoD launch and Legion reveal - and there he said 6.2 is last major patch.

[Lahis]

They're also apparently hiring new class designers across all areas (general design, PvP, and tuning).

Maybe, just maybe, they're finally realizing the game needs new ideas...

Or they are in dire need of diversity hires to save face.

[Raven]

https://careers.blizzard.com/global/...ld-of-Warcraft

I'm very curious as to why would Ion need someone to "partner with", according to the job description.

Edit: forgot to mention in the thread title that this Associate Game Director job is for WoW, of course.

Would quess since they are hiring so many people for all the diffrent deparments working on Wow, those deparments are starting to be so big that he needs help oversee them.

[Niwes]

You just missed one thing.

That only works on the short term. We are seeing the consequences first hand atm. Players leave.
Less players, less money. They counter that with increasing the money they ask for per player. Less players, more money they need to get for each remaining one.
The bubble eventually bursts.

But, yes. Nowadays that is what companies are doing.
With that said, some might recognize that that isn't the most sustainable path. Hey FF is seeing growth with the strategy of not doing that.

yes, you are exactly right here. its all about quarter numbers. and fast paced money. get the most you can get out of it NOW. longterm investment was over after 1999. if it no longer works? damage control, backpedal or start something new. thats how it goes today.

btw: Rockstar Games with GTA showing that longterm investment still could „work“, after 1999. But as a result they also have not the revenue, ATVI Blizz has. So…

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And that's a bad long-term strategy because your product is bound to suffer over time.

But many execs and managers don't care for that since they have incentives tied to short term (year-on-year) performance

I do understand it. Just because I understand why they do it doesn't excuse it. It's their products that suffer as a result.

yeah and thats the point: their product dont suffer. they make lots and lots money with it. its just not that good, thats all. and this is a problem for you. but not for them, because they make lots and lots money with it.

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The man obviously needs fucking help with making the game FUN. The last expansion that was OK (in my opinion) was Legion. After that the expansions have all sucked ass and lots of it. I think once they clean up the leadership, they need to clean up the developer team. Cause they suck ass to. Get a team in that knows how to listen to the player base instead of these bastards they have now.

just to be a bit sarcastic here:

they once in the past wanted to listen more to their playerbase / fanbase. therefore they hired some guy from Elitist Jerks. he was a huge wow lover and hardcore gamer. his name was Ion Hazzikostas.

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Cause Ion is good at raid design.. theres a lot ... I mean A LOT missing from the rest of the game outside of raids / mythic +

Ion was a great raid designer. the problem is: he dont raid design since a great while. he is game director.

Peter Principle STRIKED BACK AGAIN

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle)

[ek0zu]

I think the only person in the entire world who covers these requirements:

Knowledgeable and enthusiastic about WoW

8+ years of design experience with multiple shipped AAA titles in a leadership role


is FFXIV's Yoshi-P. The position will be filled from within as many people have said, i would love to see new blood coming, with fresh ideas but i simply don't think that there are many people willing to come over (if there are any) unless they get paid really really really well.

[Disxx]

I'll be an Armchair Game Director for Ion:

1) Please stop taking a largely data-driven approach to designing every aspect of the game. Not every zone needs its own currency or gimmick, especially the convoluted inter-dependent types. Let us quest, let us connect with characters, let us earn rep and care about factions. Don't force fringe gameplay like Torghast on everyone.

2) Copy FF14's homework. They essentially copied YOURS in the beginning and they've held truer to simple design principles the WoW team has lost sight of.

That's it.

No wonder, there has really been no contender to fight with Blizzard for WoW position until FF14. Blizzard was great at taking other ideas, polishing them, and adding to WoW. But since there were nowhere to take those ideas for some time. Then Blizzard was trying to do that themselves. Now they have FF14 where they can take ideas and polish them. Let's hope this for better!

[Nyel]

So they're hiring three more developers for the Combat Team as well. Either Blizzard was incredibly understaffed or a ton of people just left or are planning to leave right around the lawsuit.

[Lahis]

I think the only person in the entire world who covers these requirements:

Knowledgeable and enthusiastic about WoW

8+ years of design experience with multiple shipped AAA titles in a leadership role


is FFXIV's Yoshi-P. The position will be filled from within as many people have said, i would love to see new blood coming, with fresh ideas but i simply don't think that there are many people willing to come over (if there are any) unless they get paid really really really well.

So that is not happening since we all know Bluzzard pays well below industry standart.