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Blizzard's "Next-Gen MMO" is not the project codenamed "Hydra"
We've been speculating about Blizzard's next MMO for quite a long time. We're not just talking about the splash screen from last week (which panned out to be Diablo III, a non-massive game). There have been job postings on the company's website advertising various positions in a team working on a "Next-Gen MMO," which is confirmed as a totally new title, not an expansion for World of Warcraft. There have also been murmurs of a project codenamed "Hydra." We've always wondered -- are Hydra and the Next-Gen MMO one and the same?Now we have our answer: no. A reader of our sister site WoW Insider noticed a caption that read "Hydra" on an image (above) in Blizzard's Diablo III gallery. Yep, Diablo III is Hydra. So if your sole interest is Galaxy of Starcraft, move along now. Hydra is not the savior you've been waiting for. And as WoW Insider noted, Blizzard is working on three different projects at once. That's a lot on its plate. Now that Diablo III has been announced, we're not expecting any news about the Next-Gen MMO anytime soon.[Via WoW Insider]
Screenshot confirms that Diablo III is "Hydra"
Reader Oleg was kind enough to send along this Diablo III screenshot, which he found over on Blizzard's main site about the new game they announced this weekend. As you can see up in the corner, the game's internal code name apparently was Hydra, so that answers the question we posted way back in September of last year about someone overhearing the name "Hydra" being bounced around the Austin GDC.And we also know now, of course, that Diablo III isn't an MMO, which means that Blizzard still has at least one secret project running: that next-gen MMO that we've been told about via job listings. Unfortunately, we probably won't hear much about it for a while -- unless Blizzard wants to ramp up their production, three titles at once is a lot for them to work on, and even at BlizzCon later this year, we don't really expect to see a new game announcement (although they might use the occasion, if Wrath really is released by then, to announce the next planned expansion).Still, that's one mystery solved. Maybe we'll overhear another codename this year in Anaheim, and the rumor wheel can start spinning up yet again.
Blizzard announces Diablo III for Mac
Blizzard has always been a (the?) Mac-friendly game developer and they have now officially announced the forthcoming release of Diablo III. Nearly a decade after the last installment of the popular action-RPG, Blizzard plans a simultaneous release for Mac and PC (just like StarCraft II).As of yet the details, including release date and system requirements, are sketchy. However, the game will run a custom 3D graphics engine and return players to familiar territory and stories from Diablo II. I really think Blizzard deserves a hand for their commitment to bringing such A-list titles to the Mac day and date with the PC versions.[via MacNN]
The Best of Big Download; June 22-28, 2008
Wow. We have had tons of news, downloads and new content for Big Download this week . . .and that's just for Diablo III. Let's take a look at the highlights for the past week.Exclusive Features Games for Windows Press Conference: We attend Microsoft's press event where they give their views on the future of PC gaming. Guide to TF2 Pyro Achievements: Want a details look at all of the new achievements you can get while playing the Pyro in Team Fortress 2. Then check out the first five parts of our series: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, and Part 5. Shattered Suns Interview: We have an extensive interview with Chas. Cooper of Clear Crown Studios about their upcoming space based RTS game. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford: We chat with the head of the extremely busy game developer on Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway and their other projects. Alone In the Dark Interview: We chat with Atari US producer Todd Slepian about their just released survival horror game. Hands-On: Deer Hunter Tournament: We get hands-on with the newest entry in the hunting sim series from Atari. In-Depth: Armaggedon Empires: We take a detailed ook at this acclaimed indie strategy game. In-Depth: The Political Machine: We offer a look at the just released political strategy game from Stardock Big Ideas: Why do we play video games?: Our editorial takes a look at why we need playtime with games anyway. BigCast 001: Our debut podcast has three of our team members chatting about, what else, PC gaming Freeware Friday: Our weekly look at free games has a look at Freeciv, a free tribute to the great Civilization games. Spore Creature Creator contest: You still have time to participate in our contest; make the best creatures and win some cool prizes
Diablo 3 information overload
After several days of conjecture, an evolving series of load screens, and more fanboy arguments than you can shake a mouse at, word has finally come down from on high that the newest Blizzard property will be Diablo III. With the announcement this morning, Blizzard has thrown open the floodgates with screen shots, concept art, video and more. If you're wondering about what this upcoming title has in store, check out coverage from around the network and beyond, or wander through the eye-candy goodness of the galleries! Liveblogging the Worldwide Invitational opening ceremony Splash page changes as WWI opening ceremony begins, announces Diablo 3 Watch Diablo 3 teaser and gameplay footage First Diablo 3 screenshots Highlights from the Diablo 3 FAQ Diablo 3 shipping simultaneously on Mac Who's Jay Wilson? WWI streaming reliability disappoints %Gallery-26340% %Gallery-26348%
Breakfast Topic: What Blizzard didn't announce at the opening ceremony
By now I'm assuming you've read the liveblog or seen the announcement post and heard: Diablo 3 is go. By now you have probably also heard that there really weren't any other announcements at the opening ceremony. Don't get me wrong, Diablo 3 is awesome. But as much as we're Blizzard fanboys (and fangirls) here, we're all about the WoW first, and we need some WoTLK news to sustain us too -- and we still don't know what that mysterious "next generation MMO" in development is either -- it seems most people are assuming it's Starcraft now though. Me, I'm not convinced. After all, there's a Starcraft game in development too, so it could presumably be either franchise, or simply an updated World of Warcraft 2. There's quite a few things that could come out about WotLK today and tomorrow, of course. I'm still hoping for an opening cinematic and an official release date to start. While we're at it, how about giving us a demo of the Dance Studio or Barbershop, or better yet, some other unannounced new major feature for the expansion? I might even settle for new skills, talent trees, or even a new battleground preview. What are your expectations and hopes for news from the World Wide Invitational as it soldiers on?
Splash page changes as WWI opening ceremony begins, announces Diablo 3
As of 2:57 PDT, only about 2 hours after the last screen update, and with the opening ceremony for WWI well underway, the splash screen for blizzard.com and other associated sites has changed to a flash file. We're expecting it change over any second now, and will update this post when it does. Edit: And the Heavens Shall Tremble. It is official, everyone. Diablo 3 is coming our way. You can see a still of the splash screen in our gallery, but be sure to watch it in all its glory on a Blizzard site as well. %Gallery-25975%
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 27th: A "Lost" penguin and Death Knight imagery
Good Morning everyone! It is now June 27th, and as expected, Blizzard's splash screen has changed yet again to reveal more of the mystery behind what they may be announcing at the Worldwide Invitational, which begins tomorrow. What exactly they're announcing is still up in the air, but there have been some interesting revelations, especially concerning the mysterious purple monster everyone's been wondering about. The new graphic, named ice5.jpg, doesn't seem to have changed the cracking ice much, but what has changed is the "eyes." There's now very little doubt that they are glowing eyes instead of snow flecks, and to be frank, they do look remarkably like the eyes of Arthas the Lich King from underneath his helmet -- although the ethereal feel of them and the strange ridges being formed in the vapor are also very reminiscent of the Protoss. Whether these ridges indicate Arthas' helmet or the face ridges of a Protoss or a demon might still be up for debate, but this overlay of Arthas on today's splash screen by Zach is very convincing -- the eyes match up pretty much exactly. Hopefully, we'll know for sure who it is tomorrow. In addition, the new rune, located just above the breaking ice, is that of a snowflake, which brings to mind the Frost tree of the Death Knights (even if the frost rune shown on the official Death Knight page doesn't quite match up). Tipster Allen notes that the new rune looks a lot like a Norse Bind-Rune, specifically one known as a compass or the "Helm of awe," which is often used for invulnverability -- perhaps a Lost Vikings reference, or a nod to the Viking-like architecture seen in many screenshots of Northrend? All This new imagery would seem to be a killing blow of sorts for a Diablo 3 announcement, but it is also worth nothing that the new frost rune is in the correct area for the Pentagram theory to continue to apply. In addition, all 5 runes have lit up, so if you weren't able to get a good look at them before, you certainly can now. %Gallery-25975% What's really sort of interesting, though, is what our purple monster friend reveals, which I'll discuss after the break.
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 26th
The saga of the icy splash screen continues, as the newest splash screen has just gone live on Blizzard's sites under the file name ice4.jpg. This time, the ice has cracked away even further, revealing more of the night sky, and what looks to be a face coalescing from the ice flecks and vapor in the middle of the picture. The identity of the face isn't clear, although Alex thinks it may be a Protoss Archon. We've also received this very intriguing picture from tipster Pact, which shows the face overlaid with a picture of Diablo from the Diablo 2 box. Of course, it's worth noting that it could simply be Arthas' eyes as well, peering out from his helmet. As expected, a new rune has appeared as well, bringing the tally to four. This rune, located to the lower right of the cracking ice, looks like nothing so much as a miniature solar system model -- perhaps related to this model seen during April Fool's? Diablofans.com has suggested it may be a top-down view of an Arcane Sanctum from Warcraft 3 and WoW (You can see one at the Scryer's base in Shadowmoon) as well. As also expected, a new piece of the strange purple monster has appeared as well. It appears to be the hindquarters of the beast. So far, I'm still sticking to my belief that it's some sort of purple penguin. This file was named 16.jpg, which, if we follow the alphabet conversion method we've been using for previous pieces, gives us the letter "P." "Powd" is the best I can get out of that. Does that mean this picture is that of a new mascot named "Powder the penguin"? As usual, you can see all of these graphics in our splash screen speculation gallery, which is constantly being updated with new speculation and analysis as the WWI draws nearer. %Gallery-25975% There's more analysis to come after the break.
Blizzard's splash screen changes for June 25th, reveals new rune
I'm sure by now you've heard of the strange splash screen that has appeared on Blizzard's major websites, and seen the progression from day 1 to day 2, and read our report on it here at WoW Insider. As expected, a new splash screen has just appeared on Blizzard's main site. This time, a large chunk of the ice in the middle of the picture seems to have broken away. Unfortunately, we still can't make out much of anything through the ice, though we've already had a tipster or two comment to say that it may be the night sky. If so, does that mean we're inside some sort of icy tomb or cavern looking out? There's also a new rune located in the bottom left hand corner of the breaking ice. The meaning of the new rune is still up in the air. Diabloii.net points out that it looks a lot like a Protoss symbol found on the official Starcraft 2 site. You can see the image, as well as the newest piece of that strange purple monster image, in our splash screen gallery below. %Gallery-25975%
Blizzard's icy splash screen changes as Diablo 3 and WoTLK speculation intensifies
We reported yesterday about the new icy splash screen which has appeared on many of Blizzard's corporate and gaming sites. There's already tons of speculation speeding around the web about it, and of course the pot was only stirred all the more this morning when the picture changed slightly: the light in the middle of the cracked ice became brighter, and there's some new detail that can be seen through the ice, including a rune of some sort just to the upper right of the center. we can probably assume that the picture will change more each day until something is announced at the Worldwide Invitational. However, the question remains: What is being announced? Right now, there's two major schools of thought about it: One school says that this will lead up to the announcement of the WoTLK Beta, while another says that this will be the announcement of Diablo 3. Each side has some pretty passionate arguments, and are bringing the analysis to back it up. Let's look at what we have after the break. %Gallery-25975%
Blizzard.com teases everyone with new splash page
What does it mean when Blizzard teases us so? Well, it could mean many things. This very type of teaser has been used for several other announcements in the past, so your guess is as good as ours. If we had to wager an educated guess, we would say that a closed beta start date and release date is about to be announced for Wrath of the Lich King coinciding with the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. Although we'd also love to think that Blizzard was close to announcing their next MMO, but that probably won't happen for a very long time.Then again, as far as we know Blizzard has never teased us about a release date. So if you want to start making your wild guesses now, that piece of information is a good place to start. If it's not WotLK-related, our second guess would be an announcement that Diablo 3 is being "thawed out" for everyone in the near future. Yeah, we know it's a (lame) stretch -- but that's half the fun of it!Update: After some poking around, we've discovered something interesting. Out of all the Blizzard websites, diablo.com is the only one that points our browsers to this splash page. Simple coincidence or subtle hint? We'll let you guys be the judge.Update 2: Apparently diablo.com has pointed to blizzard.com for a while now. It looks like simple coincidence is much more likely in this scenario.
Blizzard acquires Diablo3.com, nothing to see (yet)
Several weeks ago, Diablo3.com, an independent fansite, posted a provocative countdown set to end today, May 1st. The site teased that today would be the day that "half the web" links to the domain ... well, let us save you the click. Of the two potential outcomes posed by WoW Insider, we get the far less interesting one: Blizzard has acquired the Diablo3.com domain from Roger Barr (aka "Mockery") who is transitioning his fansite to a new domain, more appropriately dubbed, Diablofans.com.Currently, Diablo3.com redirects to Diablofans.com, but eventually it will redirect to Blizzard.com, and after that...? Mr. Mockery notes that Blizzard has reminded him that the acquisition of the domain is not an official announcement of Diablo III, but Mockery can't help but speculate that "this is a confirmation of sorts that they're working on the next Diablo game." True that.
Mike Morhaime on the Activision Blizzard merger
Incgamers.com got to sit down with Blizzard President and CEO Mike Morhaime to chat about the big news this weekend that Blizzard is merging with Activision. He basically echoes Blizzard's FAQ on the issue, and says that nothing at all will change-- "if I do my job properly," he says, "then players won't notice any difference."The deal came about with Vivendi's full consent and interest-- Activision is apparently aiming to be the number one game publisher, and bringing Blizzard both under their wing and up into their name will help them do that. Morhaime calls it a "merger of equals," and says that while there's a chance Blizzard might look into Activision's experience if they choose to make a game up their alley (i.e., a console game, but don't get excited, Morhaime's speaking hypothetically), generally, the two companies will just keep doing what they're doing.Morhaime also laughs when Incgamers asks how this will affect development of Diablo III, but laugh is all he does-- nice try! Otherwise, Morhaime holds that the merger will have no affect on Blizzard's games or development-- other than the name change, he says, it's business as usual.
Will Diablo 3 be announced at GC 2007?
GC is a kind of European E3/PAX that is located in Leipzig, Germany. It is a trade fair for the Video Game Industry as well as a hands-on exhibition for the game playing public. All of the major players will be there including Microsoft, EA, Nintendo, etc.Today (August 22) at 10:30am Leipzig time, the day before the Games Conference opens to the general public, Blizzard is holding a press conference. The topic? "Presentation / Demo new games". Are they going to be giving new info about StarCraft II and Wrath of the Lich King? Probably. Are they going to finally announce the project that their third development team is working on? There is a lot of speculation that yes they are and it is Diablo III.Right now, Diablo.com redirects to the Blizzard.com home page. Diablo3.eu was getting a forbidden error but is now directing to the UK Diablo II expansion site. Worldofwarcraft.com/wrath also was showing a forbidden error up to being announced at BlizzCon.I'm pretty excited at the prospect as that was my biggest disappointment at BlizzCon. Do you think they will announce a new game at GC? If so, what do you think it will be? Or am I just being unrealistically optimistic yet again? I guess we'll find out soon.Update: So far, nothing new has been announced at GC.[via BlizzPlanet]
