mike-morhaime
Latest
Blizzard CEO on Diablo 3 problems, incoming improvements
Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime has taken to the Diablo forums to issue a statement on Diablo 3. In the statement, Morhaime addresses the game's launch, noting that it had both positive and negative elements. Blizzard, he admits, was not prepared for Diablo 3's staggering launch numbers – to which players locked out during the initial server problems can attest.Morhaime notes that Blizzard "looked at historical sales for Blizzard games and other top-selling PC games and watched preorder numbers" to the server requirements at launch, even going so far as to add further server capacity beyond its estimates. Still, says Morhaime, it wasn't enough, noting that "we've never gone from 0 to more than 6 million players across multiple continents within a few days with a brand-new game." He adds that Blizzard will strive to do better with future releases.
Blizzard acknowledges Diablo III always-on is DRM
Despite weeks of insisting that Diablo III's internet connection requirements were all about improving the experience for gamers, Blizzard has finally copped to the fact that the feature was actually designed to prevent piracy. "While we've never said that this requirement guarantees that there will be no cheating or game cracks, it does help us battle those problems," Blizz co-founder Mike Morhaime said in a D3 state-of-the-game post. As Rock, Paper Shotgun points out, Morhaime claims to "fully understand the desire to play Diablo III offline" despite the fact that the game was "designed from the beginning to be an online game that can be enjoyed with friends." The online requirement "is the best way for us to support that design," Morhaime writes.
3.5 million people bought Diablo 3 in the first 24 hours
It's true – the world is big into Diablo 3. So much so that the game was purchased more than 3.5 million times in its first 24 hours available, making it the "fastest-selling PC game" of all time, according to Blizzard. On top of that 3.5 million, another 1.2 million copies were scooped via the WoW Annual Pass (which included a free copy of D3).Blizzard's wording on this claim is especially interesting, pointing out that "more than 4.7 million gamers around the world were poised to storm Sanctuary on day 1 of Diablo 3's release." Blizzard CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime addresses the Diablo-sized elephant in the room soon after, saying, "We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support."Beyond the day-one sales, Blizzard revealed that by the end of its first week on sale, more than 6.3 million copies were in the hands of gamers worldwide. That guy Diablo is getting beat up by, like, a lot of people.
World of Warcraft holding steady at 10.2 million subscribers
World of Warcraft's subscriber numbers had been falling at the end of last year, but they appear to have stabilized once again. According to president Michael Morhaime, the game continues to remain steady at 10.2 million subscribers through the end of March, the same as the number seen in February during the previous conference call for Activision Blizzard. Morhaime went on to confirm that the agreement with NetEase regarding World of Warcraft in China has been renewed, with the companies planning to continue their agreement for another three years at least. The studio is also seeing definite success with Diablo III; although the game has yet to release, it's currently surpassed all of the studio's previous high-water marks regarding pre-orders. This includes units sold as part of the Annual Pass promotion, which saw 1.2 million copies purchased in total. While WoW may not have reached its previous peak, it's certainly holding on to a stalwart base for the time being.
Blizzard announces layoffs of 600 employees worldwide
Blizzard Entertainment, creator of the perennially popular World of Warcraft, announced today that it would be laying off 600 of its employees worldwide. While Blizzard takes care to note that WoW's development won't be impacted by the layoffs, we find it a bit difficult to take solace in that fact when hundreds of people are losing their jobs. Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime commented on the layoffs, stating that "Constant evaluation of teams and processes is necessary for the long-term health of any business. Over the last several years, we've grown our organization tremendously and made large investments in our infrastructure in order to better serve our global community. However, as Blizzard and the industry have evolved we've also had to make some difficult decisions in order to address the changing needs of our company." Understandable, perhaps, considering the fluctuating nature of the industry, but we still wish those Blizzard employees hit by the layoffs the very best in their future endeavors. Good luck, folks.
Blizzard cuts 600 employees, most not in game development
Blizzard has laid off 600 employees, 90 percent of whom are not involved in game development, a statement from Activision Blizzard reads. The cuts do not impact the World of Warcraft development team, the publisher was quick to assure, and its development and publishing schedules will not be affected."As Blizzard and the industry have evolved we've also had to make some difficult decisions in order to address the changing needs of our company," Mike Morhaime, CEO of Blizzard Entertainment, said. "Knowing that, it still does not make letting go of some of our team members any easier."In the same statement, Blizzard announced that it is "recruiting and looking to hire qualified developers for a number of open positions."
Diablo III sort of confirmed for Q2 2012
Looking for a definitive release date for Diablo III? So are we, and unfortunately Blizzard isn't cooperating. The best the company can come up with is Q2 2012, according to Rock, Paper Shotgun. The site reports on Blizzard's recent investors call, during which Mike Morhaime stated the obvious before alluding to the launch window. "Given the popularity of the action RPG genre, and the keen interest in Diablo III, we expect this launch to be a big opportunity for Blizzard. We can also confirm that we are targeting a Q2 launch for Diablo III. We expect to announce more details about the release schedule in the coming weeks," he said. But hey, at least he didn't say "when it's ready." [Source: Activision investor call]
Diablo 3 has a gambling problem in South Korea
Diablo 3 is stuck in production hell in South Korea, where the Korean Ratings Board is "conflicted about what to do" with the game's auction house, which they feel is too close to gambling to be entirely legal, The Korea Times reports. Blizzard's Mike Morhaime visited Korea in September to resolve concerns and Blizzard has currently submitted three versions of Diablo 3 to the Ratings Board, including one without the auction house feature, but "committee members are still reluctant," The Korea Times writes. Blizzard is intent on a global release of Diablo 3, and this snag could affect the launch date for everyone. There is no official release date for Diablo 3 yet.
Activision Blizzard loses 1.1 million WoW players since May, triples profits
Today's investor call with Activision Blizzard was a rollercoaster of news for MMO fans, with both good and bad news coming forth. Starting with the bad -- everyone asks to start with the bad news, don't they? -- World of Warcraft's subscriber numbers are much lower than they were this past May. The company reports that subscriptions have dropped from 11.4 million in May to 11.1 million in June to 10.3 million, representing a loss of 10% of the playerbase. These numbers represent the total worldwide, and Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime said that most of the losses were suffered in the eastern market. No matter where the losses come from, this continues the downward trend of the title during the past year. Blizzard declined to provide a subscriber forecast for the next quarter. The good news is that the company has whooped expectations by nearly tripling its profit for the quarter over this time last year. During this past quarter, Activision Blizzard raked in $627 million worth of sales, of which $148 million is pure profit. A majority of the revenue -- 62% -- comes from its digital sales. The company expects 2012 to be even better, with titles like Diablo III and another Call of Duty in the works. CEO Bobby Kotick is nothing if not confident in the company's future: "I believe our unyielding commitment to excellence and our creative talent around the globe will continue to position Activision Blizzard as the leader in interactive entertainment."
Blizzard apologizes for anti-gay slurs at BlizzCon
During BlizzCon last week, the lead singer of Cannibal Corpse, affectionately known as George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, was shown in a video explaining just how much he hates Alliance players in World of Warcraft. Although the video was censored and edited from its original version for the live crowd, the video is notorious for being filled with anti-gay slurs used to describe his hatred of the Alliance. Taking quick action to apologize for the lapse in judgment, Blizzard's president, Mike Morhaime, issued a written statement to GayGamer.net taking personal responsibility for airing the video, which you can read in its entirety after the cut.
Blizzard's Morhaime: F2P not right for WoW
Before you burn Blizzard at the stake, free-to-play fans, it's worth noting that head honcho Mike Morhaime isn't dismissing the model forever. In a new interview at Eurogamer, though, he does say that it makes little sense for an insanely profitable enterprise like today's World of Warcraft. "I think that there's an underlying, a fundamental assumption right now, that the less you charge, the more money you make. Which isn't true. And it doesn't necessarily make for a better game. I mean, everybody likes free... I think that definitely, players have seen a lot of really great quality free-to-play experiences, but I'm not sure it's the best model for us right now," Morhaime explains. The interview also touches on the controversy surrounding the new Mists of Pandaria expansion as well as the business logic behind Blizz's decision to give away Diablo III to long-term WoW subscribers. Head to Eurogamer for the full report.
Diablo 3 to launch in early 2012, beta period extended
"While this news might not be a complete surprise, I know that many of you were hopeful that Diablo III would ship this year," writes Blizzard president Mike Morhaime. "We were too." This means, for a brief period in time, Diablo's fans and creators were united in convincing themselves that a Blizzard game might come out on time. Neither party had fully committed to an official release date, however, and the Irvine, California-based developer had only said that it was "aiming to launch by the end of 2011." Luckily, the only thing more steadfast than Blizzard's lengthy development times is its proclaimed commitment to quality. "Ultimately, we feel that to deliver an awesome Diablo sequel that lives up to our expectations and yours as well," Morhaime said, "we should take a little more time and add further polish to a few different elements of the game." To aid the extended endeavor, Diablo 3's beta will run longer and accomodate more invitees. If your gaming tastes incorporate more than highly anticipated role-playing games, you'll likely find some relief in this delay. Now there's more time for Batman, Drake, Ezio, two kinds of modern warfare, Skyrim and -- wait, there's still not enough time, is there?
World of Warcraft subscriptions continue a downward trend
"No king rules forever, my son." Those words were a big part of the capstone event for World of Warcraft's last expansion, but they may be equally appropriate for the game itself. According to reports from the company, WoW's subscription numbers have continued to drop in the quarter ending June 30th, with the game now holding approximately 11 million subscribers worldwide. It's a slower rate than the game had been bleeding players, but it's still a definite decrease. According to president Mike Morhaime, the reason for the drop can be traced back to the time since the last expansion release, but even Morhaime admits that this is the fastest drop the game has seen during its run. There are obviously rumors that the next expansion is not so far away, but as it stands, WoW's longstanding grip on the MMO market is no longer quite as strong as it once was.
Blizzard 'working hard' to ship Diablo 3 this year, but no promises
Today's Activision Blizzard earnings release includes the following disclaimer: "Since Blizzard Entertainment has not confirmed a launch date for its next global release, the company's calendar year outlook at this time does not include a new game from Blizzard in 2011." But before you go tweetbooking about how Diablo 3 is never coming out, allow Blizz prez and co-founder Mike Morhaime a chance to address your concerns. "We are still working hard to ship the game before the end of the year; however, we're not ready to commit to a release date at this time," Morhaime told investors during a call this afternoon. While Morhaime may not be sure if the retail box will be in stores before 2012, he's more confident that you'll be playing it in some capacity. "Diablo 3 is still on track to go into external beta testing later this quarter," Morhaime said. "We are very much looking forward to getting the beta into the hands of our players and collecting their feedback for the final phase of development." Unlike many public(ity) betas, Morhaime insists this feedback is significant for Diablo 3. "There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to putting out a complex release like Diablo 3," Morhaime said. "We talked about the new auction house technology which has not been fully tested. We're not yet in beta and really it's just going to come down to when the game is ready for prime-time." In fact, it sounds like Blizzard is waiting on the feedback from the beta before it makes a final decision on whether or not to release D3 this year. "We'll know more when we hit beta and we'll know more when we put some of these new systems into test. It's a brand new infrastructure, with a lot of complex moving parts." If you want Diablo 3 sooner than later, our advice is to join the beta and leave effusively positive feedback. It's a fool-proof plan!
The Lawbringer: Mailbag 3.0
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Running parallel to the games we love and enjoy is a world full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? Since last weekend was my stepsister's bat mitzvah, I was incommunicado down in Florida celebrating with family, eating a ton of delicious food, and getting sunburned within 30 seconds of stepping into the punishing Florida sun. The emails to Lawbringer never stopped, however, and I picked my favorites to answer while lounging next to the pool, happily oblivious. A lot of people sent me emails about the Blizzard earnings call that has been making the rounds in the gaming news cycle this week, for a few specific reasons. First, Diablo III's beta is coming between August and September, which is super exciting to me because of how much I want to be playing that game again. BlizzCon was not enough. Friends at Blizzard, send all beta invites to mat@wowinsider.com. Second, Mike Morhaime revealed that World of Warcraft is currently boasting subscriber numbers mirroring pre-Cataclysm subscriptions. Subsequently, the internet went crazy and collectively, shall we say, made a mess in its pants about the state of WoW's prominence. Let's mailbag.
Blizzard bigwigs recall company's first 20 years
Twenty years is a long time, and to illustrate how long (and make you feel old in the process), let's do a little retrospective. In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev led the Soviet Union, James Cameron's Terminator 2 and Kevin Costner's Robin Hood ruled the box office, and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was flying off toy store shelves everywhere following its August release. Also in 1991, a software company known as Silicon & Synapse started its life by working on ports for other gaming companies before re-branding itself as Blizzard Entertainment three years later. In a new interview at PC Gamer, Blizzard bigwigs Frank Pearce, Mike Morhaime, and Rob Pardo talk about the company's past, present, and future, as well as where PC gaming is headed in general. "I think the effect we're on the verge of having -- at least for World of Warcraft specifically -- is that right now, gaming is on the edge of not being the basement-geek entertainment anymore," Pardo says.
Blizzard surprisingly hopeful for The Old Republic's success
EA Games' Frank Gibeau was less-than-complimentary to Blizzard's World of Warcraft this past week, saying that the older game "feels more like doing a shopping list at times" than EA and Bioware's upcoming The Old Republic title. But Blizzard's Frank Pearce is a little nicer to his competitor, saying in an interview that he'd love to see another popular MMO arrive. "This is a game that has an opportunity to grow the MMO market if done right," he said, "and therefore is very important to the industry as a whole, not just EA." Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime was similarly excited by the prospect of a quality Bioware MMO and its effect on the market. "From our perspective, we hope they make an enjoyable game because they're going to bring in a lot of new players to the MMO genre," he's quoted as saying. These guys make an MMO about war? Where's that blood, the fury, that boisterous arrogance? There's just one answer: Morhaime and Pearce must both play Alliance.
Blizzard 20-year anniversary retrospective video now online
Blizzard turned 20 years old this year, and we have been given a wonderful treat by Blizzard's founders -- the story straight from their mouths. Are you interested in Blizzard history? I sure am. Mike Morhaime and Allen Adham lead us through a 20-year retrospective about the foundation and formation of the company, their trials and tribulations, and how we got to the Blizzard of today from two guys in the same computer architecture class. The video is absolutely fascinating. Check it out at the Blizzard Entertainment 20-year anniversary site.
Blizzard speaks (briefly) about new MMO plans
"To break the mold, sometimes you have to start over," says Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime. Apparently the monolithic development firm's next MMO won't be a World of Warcraft sequel, and In fact, the company expects the two titles to co-exist for a number of years. "We're really trying to leverage all the lessons we learned through the years. Some of which we were able to address in World of Warcraft and others that maybe because of the design decisions we've made, you just can't address. So we're kind of taking a step back with all that knowledge to make something that's completely new and fresh," Morhaime said yesterday while speaking at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas. Specific details were nowhere to be found of course, but Morhaime did hint at the social aspects that Blizzard sees as defining characteristics for the future of gaming.
AIAS Hall of Fame 'Game Changers' confess pro mistakes
Kicking off DICE 2011, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences invited Hall of Fame "game changers" to speak on a variety of topics, moderated by New York Times writer Seth Schiesel. Things got introspective when the panel discussed design decisions they wish they could take back, or a plan that didn't work out as well as they thought it would. BioWare's Dr. Greg Zeschuk, who will be inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame this year with business partner Dr. Ray Muzyka, said that about 10 or 12 years ago he made a pitch video for Five Fingers of Death. It was going to be a kung-fu game set in the Baldur's Gate universe. Cutscenes would have have been too expensive to produce, so Zeschuk spent several weeks re-dubbing old kung-fu movies using his own voice. When the tape went out he recalls several companies laughed them off. If anyone happens to have a copy of that tape, there are several video upload sites we'd be more than happy to recommend.
