Is Blizzard Screwed?
If I were to name the greatest game development companies in the world, Blizzard would be vying for the top position with heavyweights like Valve and Naughty Dog. It has three of the top franchises in games: Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo. Nobody can remember the last time they made a bad game, and the only way they could improve would be to bring back the Lost Vikings franchise.
Does it concern anybody else that Mike Morhaime (head of Blizzard) now reports directly to Thomas Tippl? Is this the beginning of the end for Blizzard?
Blizzivision
When Activision bought Blizzard from Vivendi we all panicked a little at the prospect of the evil overlords at Activision getting their hands on some of the most beloved franchises in gaming. Both Activision and Blizzard were at the time adamant that the parent company respected the atmosphere at Blizzard and wouldn’t attempt to interfere.
With the new restructuring, however, we all now know that was merely to put us off our guard. They just needed to wait a couple years before making this move. It’s a slippery slope, and while I don’t imagine we’ll be seeing Guitar Hero: Azeroth or advertisements for Blur in Diablo III in the near future, that’s not what I’m worried about.
Diablo III brought to you by Activision's Blur
Activision has constantly shown they can’t manage a franchise. The only reason they got lucky with Call of Duty was because they stumbled across Infinity Ward, and they ruined that despite having a great thing going. Their latest creations, Tony Hawk Ride and DJ Hero, were by all accounts abject failures (despite getting sequels which are most likely a desperate attempt to recover invested capital).
Blizzard, on the other hand, has essentially never failed. Their games are not just constantly reviewed well, but have incredible longevity. World of Warcraft is the most successful MMO by orders of magnitude. Starcraft is the only game still played by millions of people (Koreans) a decade after launch, and is the only pro gaming RTS because of its quality. Finally, Diablo 2 is one of the highest selling PC games of all time and still widely played and updated today.
The secret for Blizzard, as I’ve mentioned in the past, is their incredible attention to detail and willingness to take the time necessary to refine a game. I have to believe this move at Activision was done because Starcraft II was taking too long, and they want to make sure release dates are met in the future.
At least bring back Lost Vikings, Blizzard, if you want to fuck up a franchise
Foreshadowing
While I don’t think this is going to screw up the current offerings of Starcraft II and Diablo III, they’re likely going to be the last hurrah. Maybe the next MMO that Blizzard is working on, which has been mentioned but not yet named, will avoid the taint of Activision. Nevertheless, Bobby Kotick’s commoditized approach to game design generates profit when costs are kept down, but that approach won’t work for Blizzard.
You can’t rush genius. Get out any way you can, while you can, Mike Morhaime.
