Diablo 3 announced, sort of

HRose · 06-13-2006, 10:19 PM

The source is not official since this comes from a presentation Vivendi gave to Wall Street. Something to feed the financial analyst.

But, I believe the source is realiable, so they really said that. And if they said that I really believe that they have a plan and that they WILL follow it.

My comments are on my website, but in short I believe that Vivendi is taking over and IMPOSING Blizzard to make more money hats.

Right now Blizzard does NOT have the resource to support three mmorpgs at once. So they'll need to grow at an insane pace and I DO expect them to break in the process.

From my own point of view what made the guys at Arena.net and Flagship studios leave years ago is starting to be visible now. Vivendi is taking over. They saw the green of money and now they WON'T leave them alone.

Source is F13

Quote:

"All Blizzard franchises will become MMOGs."

They claim they have a model now to develop an MMOG in 3 years for $50 million. WoW cost 50 million euros and took 4 1/2 years.

Probably more stuff from this presentation will come. This was just a news published as soon as possible.

Kool Moe Dee · 06-13-2006, 10:21 PM

Uh, Diablo 3 is probably one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry. This is news?

Uncle Larry · 06-13-2006, 10:23 PM

So no Starcraft 2?

:(

HRose · 06-13-2006, 10:23 PM

That bold line definitely IS.

nabeel · 06-13-2006, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kool Moe Dee

Uh, Diablo 3 is probably one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry. This is news?

Where exactly is everyone reading about these badly kept secrets? :S Us non-industry types don't really bump into a dev or two every day for a bit of chat.

HRose · 06-13-2006, 11:12 PM

Grimwell also points out that Blizzard is looking for a "Senior Console Producer" with experience with XBOX360, PSX3 and Wii.

And SirBruce said he saw the slides of the presentation and confirms that Vivendi wants both Starcraft and Diablo as MMO, but not every other franchise (like Blackthorne etc..).

Saber Cherry · 06-14-2006, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HRose

Grimwell also points out that Blizzard is looking for a "Senior Console Producer" with experience with XBOX360, PSX3 and Wii.

Wasn't he the smith in Diablo 1?

Sean Hargraves · 06-14-2006, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saber Cherry

Wasn't he the smith in Diablo 1?

Yes, I believe he talked about the Bitcher.

Kareem · 06-14-2006, 02:42 AM

This totally sucks because even though Starcraft and Diablo MMOs have the potential to be awesome, I still want Blizzard single player RTS and RPGs and their campaigns, and I doubt there will be much originality that differentiates Starcraft and Diablo MMOs from the rest of the market including WoW in their basic mechanics. That may be a moot point depending on whether Starcraft is hand to hand combat or a spaceship MMO kinda thing, but I wonder how much design decisions will carry over from WoW and whether it will be worth investing the time in those MMOs for something other than the fact that they are Blizzard franchises.

EDIT: Fuck Vivendi.

Ben Sones · 06-14-2006, 05:07 AM

I don't believe that even Blizzard could continue to grow the MMORPG market at its current rate with two more games. They'd all be big hits by industry standards, of course, but they'd cannibalize a lot of their user base from each other. Or to put it another way, Blizzard will triple their costs by making two more MMORPGs, but there's no way they are going to triple their overall subscribers, or even come close.

LesJarvis · 06-14-2006, 05:17 AM

Someone asked about this in the WoW general forums this morning. Drysc, one of the CMs, responded with the following:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drysc

I believe this was a misquote. We haven't announced any specific development plans beyond the upcoming expansion for World of Warcraft, and we don't have any intentions to focus on only one genre or platform with our future games.

Not that I'd take that as gospel, but at least there's still some hope for Starcraft 2...

Stroker Ace · 06-14-2006, 05:20 AM

Are any of the Diablo team left or is this a whole new group building it?

Edit: Oh, the WoW CMs neglected to confirm this so it's not true :P

Chris Nahr · 06-14-2006, 05:38 AM

How exactly would they position a Diablo MMORPG so that it doesn't just cannibalize WoW subscriptions? The base games are different genres, of course, but the setting is very similar.

Ryan A · 06-14-2006, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HRose

Right now Blizzard does NOT have the resource to support three mmorpgs at once. So they'll need to grow at an insane pace and I DO expect them to break in the process.

Newsflash! HRose thinks Blizzard is doomed!

shang · 06-14-2006, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Nahr

How exactly would they position a Diablo MMORPG so that it doesn't just cannibalize WoW subscriptions? The base games are different genres, of course, but the setting is very similar.

They'd probably have something like the SOE All Access Pass. However, I don't see the WoW and Diablo settings as too similar. Sure, they both share some standard fantasy monsters, but Diablo has the whole war between heaven vs. hell thing going for it.

mouselock · 06-14-2006, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shang

They'd probably have something like the SOE All Access Pass. However, I don't see the WoW and Diablo settings as too similar. Sure, they both share some standard fantasy monsters, but Diablo has the whole war between heaven vs. hell thing going for it.

Yeah, but at the base Diablo was about building up a character by selecting skill trees and then trying to collect rare items to go kill monsters. There's a nearly 100% overlap in base game mechanics between that and WoW (which, despite being World of Warcraft, really only represents Warcraft in setting). I don't see them building another game along the exact same lines without cannibalizing their customer base as well. Remember that if they did the all access pass thing, they're not increasing their revenues proportionately with the original WoW revenue to cost ratio. An all access pass that's $30 a month (or whatever 2x WoW is now days) isn't likely to be perceived as a bargain, and people would tend to choose one game or the other since most folks don't have time to play both.

DeepT · 06-14-2006, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Sones

I don't believe that even Blizzard could continue to grow the MMORPG market at its current rate with two more games. They'd all be big hits by industry standards, of course, but they'd cannibalize a lot of their user base from each other. Or to put it another way, Blizzard will triple their costs by making two more MMORPGs, but there's no way they are going to triple their overall subscribers, or even come close.

I would like to point out, before WoW came out, everyone was saying how the MMOG industry at MOST could support 1 million or so subscribers between NA and Europe. How wrong they were...

Personally I would be a little upset if they stopped with their single/multi player games and only did MMOGs. However, I would love to see a Diablo MMOG if it features Diablo II style combat and loots and simply is not a WoW with a diablo facade. In a way, Diablo / Diablo II was the 'super hero' character that would take on waves and waves of monsters. I would like to see that in a MMOG. I am sick of this forced limited control stuff. Mez that one, root the other, sheep the third, etc... That is lame. Screw crowd control. I hope the most crowd control Diablo Online (or whatever it is called) will be an Ice Mage chilling/freezing with artic bolts or necromancers making bone walls.

fuzzyslug · 06-14-2006, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben Sones

I don't believe that even Blizzard could continue to grow the MMORPG market at its current rate with two more games. They'd all be big hits by industry standards, of course, but they'd cannibalize a lot of their user base from each other. Or to put it another way, Blizzard will triple their costs by making two more MMORPGs, but there's no way they are going to triple their overall subscribers, or even come close.

This is exactly why Blizzard is hopefully telling Vivendi right now. It's an incredibly stupid idea (in the short-term) and an incredibly stupid thing to say.

The saving grace is that I haven't heard anything about timing. At some point far in the future, WoW will run out of steam and the time will be right to launch another property. Given Blizzard's past record, they'll make a Diablo MMORPG to replace it -- in about 2015.

shang · 06-14-2006, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mouselock

Yeah, but at the base Diablo was about building up a character by selecting skill trees and then trying to collect rare items to go kill monsters. There's a nearly 100% overlap in base game mechanics between that and WoW (which, despite being World of Warcraft, really only represents Warcraft in setting). I don't see them building another game along the exact same lines without cannibalizing their customer base as well. Remember that if they did the all access pass thing, they're not increasing their revenues proportionately with the original WoW revenue to cost ratio. An all access pass that's $30 a month (or whatever 2x WoW is now days) isn't likely to be perceived as a bargain, and people would tend to choose one game or the other since most folks don't have time to play both.

I don't see the cannibalizing as a problem. Sure, running a second MMORPG wouldn't double your profits, but a lot of folks would buy the box just to check the game out, so the retail profits alone should cover a big part of the development costs. If the hypothetical Diablo MMORPG would end up retaining some subscribers who are burnt out on WoW plus bringing in some new blood, it would make sense on the long run, even if the subscriptions were split between WoW and Diablo.

TheTrunkDr · 06-14-2006, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Recently shipped at least one AAA game in a producer role for one of these console platforms: Xbox, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, or GameCube. - THIS IS A MUST HAVE.

Why, WHY are these people so god damn stupid! How can anyone have shipped a "AAA game" on a god damn console that isn't even to market yet!

I'm not sure what to make of this whole 3 MMO thing from Blizzard. I generally don't think Blizzard is that brain dead (though Vivendi certainly is) but the company has seemed to be on an ever increasing downward spiral for a while now. I don't really think this is the case but it wouldn't entirely surprise me if it were.

Rywill · 06-14-2006, 07:08 AM

A Diablo MMO could be more like Guild Wars than WoW -- a sort of isometric thing with town MM hubs but instanced outdoor/dungeon areas. That would tend to differentiate it from WoW, even if some of the very basic character mechanics (loot, skill trees) were the same. It does seem weird though, because I've always thought of WoW as really a hybrid of Warcraft and Diablo. So making a stand-alone Diablo MMO seems odd.

steve · 06-14-2006, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rywill

A Diablo MMO could be more like Guild Wars than WoW -- a sort of isometric thing with town MM hubs but instanced outdoor/dungeon areas.

It's called Hellgate. Well, except for the isometric thing.

I think it would be bigger news if it was discovered that Blizzard isn't working on Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2.

HRose · 06-14-2006, 07:18 AM

Rob Pardo (WoW's original design lead) was exhumed to comment.

Quote:

Nothing in that rumor is true in regards to Blizzard. If I had to guess, there was some confusion between what Vivendi has planned for its game division versus what Blizzard has planned. While Blizzard is owned by Vivendi, their game division operates seperately from Blizzard.

-Eno

Since WOW shipped, we have lost some artists, and a few other folk, none of which were designers. As to faction grinding...I agree that it is way too "grindy" and we are looking to overhaul the way faction works in the expansion. It was one of those features that was put into the game in late beta and never really received the polish and refinement that it deserves.

-Eno

Now the point is that the Vivendi presentation was confirmed by different sources and SirBruce stated he saw the slides.

We'll see where's the truth.

fuzzyslug · 06-14-2006, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve

I think it would be bigger news if it was discovered that Blizzard isn't working on Diablo 3 or Starcraft 2.

Heh. That is so true.

Stroker Ace · 06-14-2006, 07:20 AM

SirBruce confirmed it, but the WoW forum mods denied it? I'm so torn!

HRose · 06-14-2006, 07:41 AM

Okay.

Take this.

I think the last one is the "guilty" one. Not really satisfactory as speculation, but maybe it was presented live in another way.

Zylon · 06-14-2006, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheTrunkDr

Why, WHY are these people so god damn stupid! How can anyone have shipped a "AAA game" on a god damn console that isn't even to market yet!

This is what happens when you let HR write the job postings.

Why yes, I do have at least 10 years experience in C#.

fuzzyslug · 06-14-2006, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zylon

This is what happens when you let HR write the job postings.

Why yes, I do have at least 10 years experience in C#.

Heh. I still see that type of stuff on resumes. 20 years of Java experience. Really?

SirBruce · 06-14-2006, 08:02 AM

I quite liked their job requirement of "unrelenting self-motivation". Sadly, my self-motivation has been known to relent from time to time, so I can't take the job.

Bruce

dannimal · 06-14-2006, 08:44 AM

So magazine screens being posted are a no-no, but other copyrighted information (clearly posted on the slides) is okay?

06-13-2006, 10:21 PM	#2
Kool Moe Dee Social Worker Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: My Crib Posts: 2,431	Uh, Diablo 3 is probably one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry. This is news?

06-13-2006, 10:23 PM	#3
Uncle Larry Social Worker Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,588	So no Starcraft 2? :(

06-13-2006, 10:23 PM	#4
HRose Social Worker Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: http://twitter.com/MrSkimpole Posts: 4,556	That bold line definitely IS.

06-13-2006, 11:12 PM	#6
HRose Social Worker Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: http://twitter.com/MrSkimpole Posts: 4,556	Grimwell also points out that Blizzard is looking for a "Senior Console Producer" with experience with XBOX360, PSX3 and Wii. And SirBruce said he saw the slides of the presentation and confirms that Vivendi wants both Starcraft and Diablo as MMO, but not every other franchise (like Blackthorne etc..).

06-14-2006, 02:42 AM	#9
Kareem Social Worker Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Dubai Posts: 4,153	This totally sucks because even though Starcraft and Diablo MMOs have the potential to be awesome, I still want Blizzard single player RTS and RPGs and their campaigns, and I doubt there will be much originality that differentiates Starcraft and Diablo MMOs from the rest of the market including WoW in their basic mechanics. That may be a moot point depending on whether Starcraft is hand to hand combat or a spaceship MMO kinda thing, but I wonder how much design decisions will carry over from WoW and whether it will be worth investing the time in those MMOs for something other than the fact that they are Blizzard franchises. EDIT: Fuck Vivendi.

06-14-2006, 05:07 AM	#10
Ben Sones World's End Supernova Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Boletaria, Gamertag: Ben Sones PSN: bsones Posts: 17,221	I don't believe that even Blizzard could continue to grow the MMORPG market at its current rate with two more games. They'd all be big hits by industry standards, of course, but they'd cannibalize a lot of their user base from each other. Or to put it another way, Blizzard will triple their costs by making two more MMORPGs, but there's no way they are going to triple their overall subscribers, or even come close.

06-14-2006, 05:20 AM	#12
Stroker Ace New Romantic Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 7,549	Are any of the Diablo team left or is this a whole new group building it? Edit: Oh, the WoW CMs neglected to confirm this so it's not true :P

06-14-2006, 05:38 AM	#13
Chris Nahr How To Go Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Aurora Posts: 12,768	How exactly would they position a Diablo MMORPG so that it doesn't just cannibalize WoW subscriptions? The base games are different genres, of course, but the setting is very similar.

06-14-2006, 07:08 AM	#21
Rywill New Romantic Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 7,932	A Diablo MMO could be more like Guild Wars than WoW -- a sort of isometric thing with town MM hubs but instanced outdoor/dungeon areas. That would tend to differentiate it from WoW, even if some of the very basic character mechanics (loot, skill trees) were the same. It does seem weird though, because I've always thought of WoW as really a hybrid of Warcraft and Diablo. So making a stand-alone Diablo MMO seems odd.

06-14-2006, 07:20 AM	#25
Stroker Ace New Romantic Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 7,549	SirBruce confirmed it, but the WoW forum mods denied it? I'm so torn!

06-14-2006, 07:41 AM	#26
HRose Social Worker Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: http://twitter.com/MrSkimpole Posts: 4,556	Okay. Take this. I think the last one is the "guilty" one. Not really satisfactory as speculation, but maybe it was presented live in another way.

06-14-2006, 08:02 AM	#29
SirBruce Spinning Toe Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 954	I quite liked their job requirement of "unrelenting self-motivation". Sadly, my self-motivation has been known to relent from time to time, so I can't take the job. Bruce

06-14-2006, 08:44 AM	#30
dannimal Social Worker Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: benching coffins full of dead babies Posts: 4,327	So magazine screens being posted are a no-no, but other copyrighted information (clearly posted on the slides) is okay?

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Diablo 3 announced, sort of