Blizzard Explains Tough Decisions Behind StarCraft II Trilogy

[Eric the Orange]

no point in this. There is nothing they can say to make people stop what they think.

personally 30 missions is a full game to me. The first game only had 30. So to expect this one to have 90 is unfair of people. then again I play primarily for single player, I guess people who only play for multi-player may think otherwise.

Considering the eleven years between broodwars and starcraft 2, I'm pretty sure it'd be perfectly reasonable to expect something in the realm of 347 campaign missions in a single game.

I mean, it used to be if something took eleven years to make, there was an actual fucking reason beyond, "couldn't be arsed."

I mean, I do understand how people who could barely talk eleven years ago wouldn't be too bothered by this. They've been willingly taking it up the ass their entire lives.

To be fair I may agree to a point if this were a regular game company. But Blizzard is notorious for taking forever to finish a game with there when it's done philosophy. They prefer to do less and polish it up a lot. If they were the other kind of company I wouldn't expect SC2 to have a ton of missions but rather that we would be at like SC7 by now.

I don't know if that last bit was pointed twords me but I do take offense if so. I'm 28 I was in high school when SC came out.

 

[The Lunatic]

Yeah, still not convinced.

 

[Kyprioth]

Why are you all so angry at something that hasn't happened yet? Get angry when they break their promise and choose not to price them as expansions...they haven't done that yet.

Also, why all the hate of Kotick? He's a businessman. That's what they're supposed to do: maximize profits. Nobody's selling games for your entertainment, they're doing it to make money. He's just honest about it. If anything, I see as less slimey for it.

 

[TerranReaper]

supposed money grabbing

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/103517-Kotick-Itching-to-Sell-Cutscenes-As-Films
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102805-Blizzard-Squeezes-88-Million-From-Private-Server-Owner
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/102140-Blizzard-Dropped-Over-100-Million-On-StarCraft-II
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.232706-Kotick-Activision-Was-Bungies-Only-Choice

"In the last cycle of videogames you spent $50 on a game, played it and took it back to the shop for credit. Today, we'll (charge) $100 for a guitar. You might add a microphone or drums; you might buy two or three expansions packs, different types of music. Over the life of your ownership you'll probably buy around 25 additional song packs in digital downloads. So, what used to be a $50 sale is a $500 sale today."

Activision, Kotick said, has no interest in games that "don't have the potential to be exploited every year on every platform with clear sequel potential and have the potential to become $100 million franchises."

"...as we can see with World of Warcraft to be a 50 per cent operating margin business."

"if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further."

And I'll leave you with this - Direct from Bobby Kotick himself -

[HEADING=3]Kotick's goal over the past 10 years has been - you couldn't make this up - "to take all the fun out of making video games." How? By instilling a culture of "scepticism, pessimism, and fear" amongst the company's staff based around the economic depression and an incentive program that rewards "profit and nothing else".[/HEADING]

I'm well aware of all of this, how kind of you to assume that I'm not.

Of course, I say the first one is perhaps the only one that holds any kind of solid evidence that "Blizzard" is full of money grabbing assholes. Second was someone hosting an illegal server and suffering consequences of doing it, knowing full well of what might happen if Blizzard starts giving a damn. Third barely has any relevance, it involves Blizzard DROPPING MONEY into a game, god forbid that people try to make a product successful. Fourth doesn't involve Blizzard itself, in fact, I was under the impression that Blizzard's operations are at least somewhat independent of what Activision has to say. Of course, even if this was confirmed true or not, it wouldn't stop anyone or you from mixing the two together.

What does chucking quotes about how much of a greedy bastard the CEO proves? This is how business operates, this is how the real world works, people make money in whatever way possible. Kotick is a businessman, nothing more.

 

[Tharwen]

Would people be complaining if they'd said 'expansions' more and 'split into three parts' less?

 

[Jared]

I can believe that with money made off WoW...so good on them!

 

[Imbechile]

I don't really understand all the whiners.
I've read even before Wol came out that they're going to price the next two as expansions, but if some people actually did some research then they would know, instead they whine and whine about things they don't fucking know and are just speculating :-(

 

[Traun]

Would people be complaining if they'd said 'expansions' more and 'split into three parts' less?

I suspect people wouldn't care if Blizzard DIDN'T told them. You know, the game comes out and BAM! Works for every other studio out there.

 

[KillerRabbit]

Translation:
We want lots of money and we know you'll pay it.

Indeed, they come with lots of excuses, and the fanboys buy the explanations, but in the end its all about getting most revenue anyway.

 

[Galaxy613]

Given the current state of the campaign I'd have rather gone for a 3-race campaign with 12 missions each that this clusterfrak of a storyline.

Wait... wuts wrong wit it? I mean, I like the storyline and everything, just $180 is pretty fucking steep for a single game.

Ironically, $180 is exactly how much you'll pay if you play a MMO for more than a year.

I really wonder why people didn't throw a cage about Mass Effect. It's also a game that they decided to release as a trilogy, each game at the FULL PRICE. The audacity! Each one is a DIRECT CONTINUATION OF THE SAME STORYLINE. Those bloody money grubbing imbeciles at EA and Bioware, I hate them all.

 

[Caliostro]

Allow me to simplify Blizzard's seemingly complex conundrum:

"We wanted more money, we don't give two shits about you people. Make the math."

All of you buy sequels all the time. All I see here is hypocrisy.

And yet I never bought 1 game, divided in 3, all at full price + absurdly high inflation just because they felt like it.

But hey, you people keep buying it, so why shouldn't they do it? You're only getting what you deserve.

 

[Thedutchjelle]

:<
I wasn't really that fond of the SC2 story as it didnt feel as good as SC1, and they're going to milk us for name changes and whatever features later on as well. Don't get me wrong, I like the game, but I don't think I'll buy the other two before some serious flaws are fixed, whatever their reasoning might be.

They're also advertising the sequel in the epilogue of this game -_-'

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

-A bunch of stuff about Kotick's greedmongering-

Can't remember where I heard/read this, but it applies to pretty much everything: "Party's over when the suits show."

In business, the moment someone outside the field takes the reigns, everything goes to shit for employees and consumers. The only people who benefit are shareholders. Kinda sad when you think about it. Despite the "investor" label, shareholders are typically less invested than the people who live for the company (employees) or the customers who support it.

Incorporation sucks.

 

[No_Remainders]

Translation:
We want lots of money and we know you'll pay it.

More like

"Translation:
Give us your money. We think you'll believe this as we are akin to a god-like figure and you are mere peasents you ignorant, gullible morons."

I think that's more fitting.

 

[lacktheknack]

Still sounds like buying three games to me. Do I have to go pay $40-60 for each one? then I'm buying three games. If they make them as Expansion packs and charge $20-30 for each... well thats not so bad.

For the eighty bazillionth time, they'll be about $30! Do people just not research anymore!?

I'm sorry Tom. You tried. But the failboys, they know no logic.*patpat*

NOW RELEASE SWARM DAMNIT!

Again! Research! It'll be out sometime late next year.

 

[lacktheknack]

All of you buy sequels all the time. All I see here is hypocrisy.

And yet I never bought 1 game, divided in 3, all at full price + absurdly high inflation just because they felt like it.

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH NO.

 

[Galaxy613]

-A bunch of stuff about Kotick's greedmongering-

Can't remember where I heard/read this, but it applies to pretty much everything: "Party's over when the suits show."

In business, the moment someone outside the field takes the reigns, everything goes to shit for employees and consumers. The only people who benefit are shareholders. Kinda sad when you think about it. Despite the "investor" label, shareholders are typically less invested than the people who live for the company (employees) or the customers who support it.

Incorporation sucks.

And they are usually not *just* investors. They get to have a lot more clout because it's *their* money.

Goes to show if any indie-devs are reading this. DO NOT TAKE OUTSIDE MONEY! It's easy to spend other people's money more than your own hard won cash, and then you get addicted and soon, you won't be making your own games..

 

[Traun]

For the eighty bazillionth time, they'll be about $30! Do people just not research anymore!?

This is the internet, the only place where an OPINION has more value than facts, logic, reasoning and research.






I should just delete my browsers.