CNN: Blizzard's 'Warcraft' Riches

[Evil Avatar]

With World of Warcraft hitting 4 million paid subscribers this week, CNN/Money (http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/01/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/) decided to look at some of the steps Blizzard took to reach those numbers. This week's Game Over column (http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/01/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/) looks at the company's unorthodox practices in China and gets Blizzard's thoughts on console versions of WoW and whether it is considering MMO versions of Diablo and Starcraft.

"As they often do with new product debuts, a group of the company's game makers went to a retailer near their California offices to greet enthusiastic fans who were lined up for midnight launch party. With previous titles, the crowds were only a couple hundred people large. By 11pm on Nov. 22, there were over 4,000 gamers queued up to be among the first to get a copy of "WoW"."

[Justin_McElroy]

People of planet Earth:

Get your shit together.

That is all.

[OUX]

Wow this guys is either really dumb or really lazy. He basically just wrote an entire article that anyone in the target audience already knew. Can I have his job?

This just in console wars heat up with the 360 being released first with Sony yet to announce a release date. Little is heard from Nintendo about their revolution...

oh yeah i got it

[Varsity]

Wow this guys is either really dumb or really lazy. He basically just wrote an entire article that anyone in the target audience already knew. Can I have his job?
It's hard to believe I know, but the world does not revolve around you. This piece was written for the general public, not EA.

[The Continental]

Wow this guys is either really dumb or really lazy. He basically just wrote an entire article that anyone in the target audience already knew. Can I have his job?

Seriously, there really is no reason for anyone who frequents this site to read that article.

[OUX]

It's hard to believe I know, but the world does not revolve around you. This piece was written for the general public, not EA.

Yeah because the general public cares about oh wait no they don't.

[Librum]

I believe the whole point of the post was not that the CNN article contains information that general EvAv readers are not aware of, but that the money involved with WoW has brought it to the attention of a non-gaming audience, thus the need for extremely basic background info for the huge majority of individuals out there who do not follow gaming news on such a granular level.

So, he did not write an article that his target audience already knew about, since his target audience is the general business public, not gamers.

[Tricky Thumb]

As soon as Blizzard announces a Starcraft MMO the world will disheave a collective sigh while they all look for their car keys so they can go preorder it.

Of course, unless they release SC2 and then do an MMO. Really I just want a Starcraft game and Ghost does not count to me, seeing as it's not even made by Blizzard themselves.

Oh right, and the article is fine for the purpose that is serves. Posting it on Evil Avatar seems okay to me, some people here might be interested in seeing how CNN treats these pieces, I like them for what they are myself.

[Genital Eclipse]

This thread is sweet.

(slitting wrists)

[Mrbunchypants]

One has to under stand that this is how the public views games. To suddenly see that a game can make that much money to someone who knows nothing about games is a big thing.
Yes I know that they are makeing truck loads on it..... or are they. so far they have had dev working to fix bugs add servers and hire GMs. Not to mention all the other support staff. But in the end they are makeing car loads of money. :D

[Ajezz]

I seriously doubt Blizzard will do another MMO with either Starcraft or Diablo, it'd essentially just be creating competition for themselves...

They've defied all expectations by racking up 4 million subscribers, I don't the think a second game with a monthly fee would be an easy sell, it'd just be a case of people picking the genre they're more interested in Fantasy vs Sci-fi with a small minority paying for both.

[mister_slim]

Of course, unless they release SC2 and then do an MMO. Really I just want a Starcraft game and Ghost does not count to me, seeing as it's not even made by Blizzard themselves.

Swinging Ape was acquired by Blizzard. So there. *Laughs giddily*

[NACIONAL]

I seriously doubt Blizzard will do another MMO with either Starcraft or Diablo, it'd essentially just be creating competition for themselves....

thats right... but not entirely...

If blizzard makes a StarCraft MMOG, that would be the first MMOG that i would play... heck!, I could sell my soul to play that game!

[Citizen Philip]

thats right... but not entirely...

If blizzard makes a StarCraft MMOG, that would be the first MMOG that i would play... heck!, I could sell my soul to play that game!

*Point*

The line started way back there.

[Liquidize105]

thats right... but not entirely...

If blizzard makes a StarCraft MMOG, that would be the first MMOG that i would play... heck!, I could sell my soul to play that game!
You're dreaming of the impossibly sweet virtual reality starcraft, where you roam the badlands with your trusty canister rifle, take shelter in a downed cruiser, stowaway on a smuggler ship, break into corporations' weapons research division, hijack a scv and surveil the mining network, etc. etc.

And that's just Terran.

I'm waaay ahead of you dude. :D I was a mapper and an avid fan in the sc haydays. I can make this MMO! :D

The line starts with me and wraps around the block... ten times. You two better get in line before the number spills over twenty.

[balamoor]

I think what some of you guys are missing is that WoW has gone mainstream. People that never played a computer game are playing WoW.

Perfect Example: My Dumbass Brother. He thinks that if you touch a computer for other than sending an E-mail you are nerd and should be loaded onto a Cattle Car for forced labor and ultimately death. He is playing WoW with my Nephew who thank god will probably not turn out nearly as fucked up as his old man. My Fucking Grandmother has heard of WoW…and guys that’s just wrong.

I have non-gaming friends that call me on a regular basis (Usually when I'm trying to sleep shower or get laid.) asking questions about the game. Hell EQ wasn't this nuts in its heyday.

Guys I know who work for SOE have told me that WoW has basically H-bombed their Market and nothing they can do can even put them back on the scope. At this point they are just trying to survive. And every option is on the table from Server consolidation on EQ II, to shutting down certain legacy titles. Meanwhile copies of WoW are still flying off the shelf at 49.99 almost a year after its release. Personally I’m waiting on the Saturday morning Cartoon, and the Breakfast cereal.

WoW is basically Godzilla, and I'm not talking about that pussy ass Matthew Brodrick Godzilla. I'm talking about the Pissed Off SOS-Tokyo Godzilla.

MMORPG developers are seeing it coming down their block and putting the preverbal pistol to their heads in lieu of getting stomped.

And Blizzard is poised to own the MMORPG market for the next 5-7 years because they are not doing an SOE Lighting cigars with 100.00 bills and telling their fans we own you bitch. No walk into Blizzards offices in CA, and you will see a Banner that says;

Today’s numbers mean nothing tomorrow.
FOCUS ON THE PRODUCT.

You will also hear the muffeld cries of Hail Satan!! but that's another story.

[Zeal]

Now can you imagine World of Warcraft's successor?

[bean19]

1.5 million is super-impressive, but even if they did not release in China and get those 1.5 million, wouldn't they still have a couple million more subscribers than any other MMO besides Lineage?

The reasons for WoW being incredibly successful in China are the same reason for WoW being incredibly successful in the U.S. They have an incredibly accessible interface, brilliant art direction that makes the most of today's systems, great core game mechanics, gameplay that is fun, leveling that is never so slow that it feels like a grind (and thus is much faster than any of their competitors), they meet casual gamers half-way with the rest system, the game shipped with a ton of content including endgame content (although I find this to be their weakness as I don't enjoy replaying any of it, but having this at launch greatly increased the replayability compared to the many games that don't ship with an endgame at all), and they perch this masterwork of a game on top of a successful audience-attracting intellecutal property.

I do find their penetration of the Chinese market interesting, and other games would do well to do this too. 1.5 million customers represent 37.5% of WoW's customer base, so even less well-made MMOs could conceivably expand their audience by this large number of subscribers if they were to court the Chinese market.

NCSoft should get smart and hire some Chinese translators to import all of their games. Obviously, they already have a foothold in the market with Lineage (especially in Korea). Maybe they have already done so, but I can't find a Chinese website for City of Heroes. . . how could a company ignore a 37.5% possible increase in their playerbase? That seems odd.

[Alexious]

WoW is basically Godzilla, and I'm not talking about that pussy ass Matthew Brodrick Godzilla. I'm talking about the Pissed Off SOS-Tokyo Godzilla.
You know, I'm kind of surprised that Sony didn't make a big push to get the Lord of the Ring license for a MMORPG. I was sitting here thinking of what kind of IP could compete with WoW and the only thing I could come up with would be LotR.

Obviously, some of the appeal has been lost since the end of the trilogy was a while ago. If Sony had gotten in there and generated some buzz when the fever reached its peak, they might've been able to compete. But now, who wants to wait around for a game from Turbine that won't be out until nearly 2 years after the movies are done?

I don't know... maybe if Serenity is a hit you could do a MMORPG in that world? A good Sci-Fi based game could compete with WoW. Also one based in a darker, more violent world (aka similar to Diablo) could put a dent in WoW's numbers too. Not everyone is in love with cartoony art direction of WoW. Although I think its great.

[balamoor]

You know, I'm kind of surprised that Sony didn't make a big push to get the Lord of the Ring license for a MMORPG. I was sitting here thinking of what kind of IP could compete with WoW and the only thing I could come up with would be LotR.
Well SOE for all practical purposes is out of the MMORPG game. They have moved the MxO guys to Seattle to work on the upcoming DC MMORPG which is doomed to suck because it's going to basically be MxO in tights from what I have heard. Lucasarts gave them a short reprieve to get their act together on SWG, but 6-8 mos after Trails of Obi Wan is released they will basically put the game in a full breathing suit, and Bring it back to LA for a major overhaul….. The only way SOE stays in the black right now is leasing out server farms. But... the hole they’re in is the hole they dug.


Obviously, some of the appeal has been lost since the end of the trilogy was a while ago. If Sony had gotten in there and generated some buzz when the fever reached its peak, they might've been able to compete. But now, who wants to wait around for a game from Turbine that won't be out until nearly 2 years after the movies are done?

If it's out at all…. Turbine is going through some heavy shit right now. Their venture capitalists are not happy, and they are losing people faster than a Texas Death Row block. It’s sad when even guys at WoTC don’t believe that DDO will be released….. at least not under the Turbine moniker.

I don't know... maybe if Serenity is a hit you could do a MMORPG in that world? A good Sci-Fi based game could compete with WoW. Also one based in a darker, more violent world (aka similar to Diablo) could put a dent in WoW's numbers too. Not everyone is in love with cartoony art direction of WoW. Although I think its great.

I think folks are really counting out Richard Garrott and Tabula Rasa. Also I think Perpetual has a real shot at competing with STO provided they stay true to the Franchise. If the rumblings are true that Venvendi is courting the Raven guys for the upcoming Marvel MMO that will have a serious chance, but all in all Blizzard owns the MMORPG scene, and will for some time.

[evilpenguin9000]

maybe if Serenity is a hit you could do a MMORPG in that world? A good Sci-Fi based game could compete with WoW.

I'd consider trying this if the buzz was any good at all, although it would be hard to pry myself from Warcraft. Still if Joss Whedon actually took part in the writing of the quests and dialogue, that game would have some serious potential. But hey, I'm just a fanboy, what do I know?

[Alexious]

I think folks are really counting out Richard Garrott and Tabula Rasa. Also I think Perpetual has a real shot at competing with STO provided they stay true to the Franchise. If the rumblings are true that Venvendi is courting the Raven guys for the upcoming Marvel MMO that will have a serious chance, but all in all Blizzard owns the MMORPG scene, and will for some time.
Hey, I totally forgot about Tabula Rasa! That's a good point. I liked what they are doing with the total revamp. But I'm afraid I don't know what STO is. Anyone care to clue me in?

[balamoor]

Hey, I totally forgot about Tabula Rasa! That's a good point. I liked what they are doing with the total revamp. But I'm afraid I don't know what STO is. Anyone care to clue me in?


Star Trek Online http://www.startrek.perpetual.com/

[Xerxes]

balamoor is right about the mainstreamness of WoW. If they made diablo and starscraft into MMO, for one Blizzard would best give a price break for owning two or three of the different games.

Isn't WoW why Chappelle ended his show, he couldn't play his warlock character enough with shooting a new show. lol

[balamoor]

balamoor is right about the mainstreamness of WoW. If they made diablo and starscraft into MMO, for one Blizzard would best give a price break for owning two or three of the different games.

Isn't WoW why Chappelle ended his show, he couldn't play his warlock character enough with shooting a new show. lol


Basically... Off the South Africa to get back to his roots my ass. :rolleyes:

You're not going to see Blizzard do a second MMO. For one I asked Fangtooth what the Chances were at E-3 and he said about as good as Ted Kennedy winning the 2008 presidential bid. :cool: It dosen't mean it will never happen, but not until we see Diablo III, and Starcraft II.

[Twigz'N'Berries]

MMM...Diablo 3....

Well, I've never been in an online MMORPG, but I'm seriously considering picking up WoW. I've heard a lot of good things about it both on EvAv and crappy as G4TV. There was this hilarious clip of some guy running into a room full of dragons and a bunch of people trying to save him...it didn't work.

After that, I have been mulling it over. I'll probably go pick it up in a week or so. I have even looked at my Xbox the same since the 360 is coming out. I may pick up Far Cry or HL2, but the Xbox has pretty much perished. Who wants to buy a game they aren't sure will be backwards compatible for a system will purchase in roughly 2 months?

...oh yeah, are there any numbers/links to the info that will support Sony Online's demise? I love being able to read up on that stuff.

[bean19]

Twigz - We've already had a few threads that made fun of balamoor and his doom posts. . . so let's not make another one. Suffice it to say that every one of SOE's MMOG's are profitable, and some of them continue to be very popular. None of them are hosting money-swimming contests like Blizzard, but after the two "monster" MMOs that have millions of subscribers (WoW and Lineage), they hold all the top spots for subscribers.

Their games may be crap, but they certainly have taken advantage of the market that must not mind crappy games. :)