starcraft 2
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Blame World of Warcraft for StarCraft 2's tardiness
We already blame World of Warcraft for most of the problems in the world -- loneliness, social atrophy and, generally, man's inhumanity towards man -- but now we've got another grudge to harbor against the MMO juggernaut: It delayed StarCraft 2 development for an entire year. That's 365 days of sweet, sweet strategy (by which of course we mean constant, unwavering zerg rushes) that we could have already been enjoying.This startling revelation came to Eurogamer by way of Blizzard vice president of game design Rob Pardo, who explained, "A fair amount of the design team went onto World of Warcraft for a year to really help finish that game off." We guess that explains why Starcraft 2 took six years to finish. See, and here we assumed it was because they were all hopelessly addicted to WoW, not because they were actually making it.
Hands-on: StarCraft II multiplayer
It's been nearly two years since we were first embarrassed in a StarCraft II multiplayer preview, but we recently got our long-awaited shot at redemption. During the interim, we've logged countless hours with the original StarCraft and its Brood War expansion (having picked up new, digital copies for a mere $15) in order to prepare for this opportunity. The bad news? We still managed to get owned. Although, in our defense, we were playing against some hardcore fansites, and the setup of Blizzard's recent hands-on event was not unlike being dropped into a televised StarCraft tournament match in Korea with an announcer saying, "Okay, and ... GO!"That's the bad news. The good news is that StarCraft II looks simply amazing, and it plays even better. After you've pounded your brain with several hundred hours (for some of you, it's probably thousands of hours) of StarCraft, and you fire up StarCraft II, it's like being jolted by 1.21 jigawatts of mouse-clicking rapture -- which, thankfully, also numbed the pain of our ongoing losing streak.%Gallery-66757%
Eyes-on: Seven minutes of Starcraft 2 multiplayer footage
click here for high-res gallery or here for multiplayer video Seven minutes and six seconds, to be exact. That's pure, raw, Starcraft 2 footage coming at you just beyond the break, and it features Terran, Zerg, and Protoss units going at it. If you're still not sated, try out the direct video file here (it's 250MB), free from flash encoding. See how much you can resist trying to move the screen around with your own mouse, continually forgetting that – alas! – it's just a video. For us it happened right at the very end when that swarm of Ultralisks started pounding on that poor Terran Command Center. Ouch.To kill time until the game ships (hopefully) later this year, be sure to check out our new hands-on with the multiplayer and our interview with lead producer Chris Sigaty, both coming later today, and the new images in the gallery below.%Gallery-66757% Download in HD (250MB)
The Blizzard Orc Statue and compass points of wisdom
Hey there WoW.com readers! You're probably wondering who the hell this guy is. And by this guy, I mean me. I'm a writer over at Joystiq, where we sometimes jealously watch all the fun stuff our sword and spell-wielding counterparts over here get to do. Luckily, and only by means of geographical location and the fact that they were showing off Starcraft 2, I got a chance to tour the Blzzard campus and take a lot of snaps if you know that I mean. Wink wink, nudge nudge.These will be featured in a story over on Joystiq at some point today, but in the meantime here's a sneak preview just for WoW.com readers. You may already know about Blizzard's massive courtyard Orc statue that's in the process of being installed in the front of the main building, but you might not know about the tenets engraved on each of the eight compass points that tout Blizzard's mottos. There's a peek at all of 'em in the gallery below, and they're also listed just beyond the break. Read on for more, check out the statue and points gallery below, and stay tuned today for the drool-worth tour photos.%Gallery-67016%
Here's an early look at StarCraft II's battle report 3
Another StarCraft II battle report just hit the interwebs. This one is out a little early, as you won't find it anywhere on the official site just yet. Blizzard's third battle report (as obtained by Gamez.nl) shows off some new units, a new map called Scrap Yard and also features over 17 minutes of Zerg vs. Protoss action. While 17 minutes may not be enough to completely satiate a decade-long deficit of StarCraft goodness, it sure does leave us smiling and gets us excited about playing it later this year. Get briefed on the full battle report right after the break.[Via Incgamers]
StarCraft II targeting an '09 release
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/StarCraft_II_targeting_an_09_release'; Blizzard president Mike Morhaime confirmed in an investor webcast that StarCraft II has been planned for release later this year. "We're targeting an end of year release this year for StarCraft II," said Morhaime. "But as always, we won't release it until it meets our standards and the expectations of our players."With the beta opening this summer, it looks like there will be more than enough StarCraft for fans to sink their Zerg-like talons into.%Gallery-3311%[Via Big Download]
Reminder: Second batch of BlizzCon tickets go on sale at 10AM Pacific today, May 30
Don't have a ticket to BlizzCon 2009 and still want to go? Best lock and load, because the second batch of entry passes go on sale today at 10AM Pacific on the Blizzard site. The first set sold out in less than 30 minutes, so if you're not there at precisely the appointed hour when the golden passes go on sale ... seriously, just don't bother.The tickets cost $125 apiece and there's always the option to "attend" though DirectTV's $40 pay-per-view. But just imagine all the sights, sounds and smells you'd be missing. Best of luck to the faithful (and forsaken) warriors attempting to grab a ticket.[Via Big Download, WoW]
First round of BlizzCon 2009 tickets sold out in under 30 minutes
Convinced that the creators of their favorite PC gaming titles just weren't making enough money with its MMO/Class 3 Narcotic, World of Warcraft, Blizzard fans came out of the woodwork yesterday to throw buckets of cash at the aforementioned developer. No, they weren't generously donating -- they were purchasing one of the rarest scraps of paper in existence: A golden ticket to BlizzCon 2009.Said buckets of moolah were flying fast and furious -- the first round of tickets, priced at $125 a pop (a $25 increase over last year), sold out within 30 minutes. Don't fret if you don't get your hands on any of the remaining entry passes (the next round drops May 30) -- you can always pay-per-view the entire event on DirecTV (or online) for $39.99. A hefty fee, but given the huge games they'll likely be showcasing this year, it might just be worth it.
Don't forget BlizzCon tickets go on sale today
If all goes to plan, tickets for BlizzCon 2009. the must-attend event of the year, are due to go on sale in a couple of hours time. This year's BlizzCon is being held on the weekend of 21st August at the Anaheim Convention Center in Los Angeles.Our sister site WoW Insider will be updating all day and if you're planning on joining the queue for tickets, you might want to check out their guide to the event. If you are, set up a Battle.net Account right now and then read up on how the new ticket system is going to work. Remember the first batch of tickets is going on sale at 10am PDT today, the second batch will be released at some point on 30th May, but we suggest you try and get them today if you can, as they are sure to sell out fast.
Blizzard confirms Grunty, the Marine Murloc, as BlizzCon giveaway
To no one's surprise, Blizzard has confirmed that yes, Grunty, the Space Marine Murloc we posted about yesterday, will be given away in the BlizzCon goody bag to all attendees. Anyone who also orders the DirecTV pay-per-view package this year will also pick up the noncombat pet as an in-game item. So if you want to get your hands on this little well-armed gurgler, get those F5 buttons and your Battle.net accounts ready: tickets go on sale May 16th.As we noticed yesterday, the little guy also has a Gauss rifle that he will periodically fire into the air, Blizzard says, "to make sure no invisible spacecraft are swooping in to attack." Which is cute and all, but you know what would be cuter? Hearing a Space Marine radio version of the little guy's Murloc gurgle when you click on him.*ksshhkk* Mrguggugguggle! *ksshhkk* Blizzard, make it so!
Grunty, the Murloc Marine appears on the PTR
We've had WoW and Diablo 3-themed BlizzCon/Worldwide Invitational in-game pets already, so you might say "hell, it's about time" when we tell you that Grunty, a murloc in Space Marine power armor, is on its way. MMO-Champion's Boubouille, head of the Romulan Data Miners Guild, discovered the pet's model while performing routine excavation on the newly-updated 3.1.2 patch files. If I were a betting man, I'd say that all signs point to this being part of the BlizzCon goody bag as opposed to TCG loot, meaning there's even less of a chance for you to get it. Hope you're prepared to beat the queue to get one. Heck, I'm even considering trying to go after seeing this -- I can't wait to see the idle animations he gets. According to the screenshots, it looks like he even blasts the air with his flamethrower. For once, the fish will do the frying. *puts on sunglasses, plays "Won't Get Fooled Again"*
Activision conference call: WoW still at 11.5 million subscribers
The OC Register has a great breakdown of what Activision said on their earnings conference call today. Perhaps the biggest WoW-related stat to come out of the call is that the number of subscribers to the game has apparently leveled off: they're holding steady at 11.5 million. Which is nothing to cough at, but it's what we were told four months ago, and if, as Ghostcrawler claimed, the numbers are still going up, then they're going up very, very slowly. Morhaime says that numbers are growing everywhere, but that China will be a main focus of growth this year as Wrath of the Lich King releases there soon.In non-WoW Blizzard news, the Starcraft 2 beta will start this summer and will be the "final" phase of development for that game. The new Battle.net interface will be tested then as well, so keep an eye out for that. And Blizzard expects big things there in China also -- NetEase, the company that will now be handling Wrath's launch, is already set up to run both Diablo III and Starcraft 2 out there, so it'll all be under one umbrella.In short, there's no really bad news from Blizzard, but no really great news either -- the best news to come out of the call is that even in the slow economy lately, Blizzard is holding steady. Not a bad thing at all, but we probably won't see any spikes in player interest in Blizzard or WoW until they announce what's next on the content plate, whether that be at BlizzCon or before.
Blizzard opens beta test opt-in for Starcraft II
We don't have to tell you how big a deal Starcraft II is. In the next few months, Blizzard will be ironing out the kinks through a beta test period for the RTS sequel, and right now you can try to get in on that action.So, here's what you need to do: Go into your Battle.net account management area (specifically the Beta Profile Settings page), where you will be able to sign up for beta opt-in status for Starcraft II Upload a screenshot of your system specs (as directed) ??? Profit It's a pretty easy process, but know that if you've already set up your beta opt-in status on Battle.net before, it does not apply here. You have to manually go in and do it again specifically for Starcraft II. We know it's a pain, but for Starcraft II, we're sure you'll manage.[Thanks, Sal Zerilli!]
BlizzCon 09 tickets on sale May 16, event streamed online for first time
Blizzard announced to its children today that they may pay for their return to the warm bosom of BlizzCon on May 16. The cost for the "Tickets of Comradery" will set back the faitful's coin purses by $125 -- that's a 25 percent increase from the previous year. Blizzard apparently has a new system in place to prevent last year's ticket fiasco. Come May 16, attendee hopefuls go to the ticketing website and sit their actual butts in a virtual queue -- this will not guarantee a ticket, just that you'll be in a line for a golden ticket.For those who can't get to the Anaheim Convention Center on August 21 and 22, there's always the option of the pay-per-view package from DirecTV for $40. There will also be a live stream of the event online, also available for $40, for non-DirecTV customers. So, Blizzard horde, hopefully this year's ticketing process won't be visited by the "Failoc."[Via WoW Insider]
BlizzCon 2008 beta codes now being accepted
Our sister site Joystiq pointed out last night to their readers that the BlizzCon 2008 beta codes were now being accepted, and we thought it prudent to pass the news along to you.You can enter the code over at http://www.blizzcon.com/beta and enjoy the satisfaction that you'll get knowing in a few months (or less?) you'll be playing the beta of StarCraft II.The code took me a few others on staff a couple tries to enter. 'B' looks like '8', and 'S' looks like '8'. You'll probably need to try a few different permutations of the code until you get it right. When you enter the right code, you'll get an email 'confirmation' that really just tells you that you've entered the key successfully. You don't have to do anything further. The email is a little oddly worded though, and doesn't look like your typical Blizzard email. So we've posted a copy of it after the break for folks.BlizzCon 2009 is coming up on August 21st and 22nd of this year. We'll be there in force again. Should be a blast!
Blizzcon 08 beta codes now being accepted
Attention Blizzard fans: Remember those mysterious beta codes handed out at Blizzcon last year? Well, Blizzard is now accepting them. All you have to do is head over to this website, enter the appropriate info and you should receive an email confirming your "Blizzard Future Beta Sign-Up."Alas, the email doesn't mention what the beta will actually be for, nor does it say when the beta will occur. If we had to guess -- and we do -- it's probably for StarCraft II or Diablo III, both of which have betas planned. StarCraft 2 seems the likelier choice, given that plans for a 2009 beta were revealed earlier this year.[Thanks, Sean]
Watch this: 20 minutes of Starcraft II footage
Starcraft II. Over 20 minutes of gameplay footage. No further text needed.%Gallery-3311%
The9 is out, NetEase is in for Chinese World of Warcraft operator
Yesterday, we reported the rumor that it looked like Chinese World of Warcraft operator The9 might be losing the licensing rights to a competitor, and today we can confirm that rumor to be 100% true. Rival company NetEase has purchased the rights to operate World of Warcraft in China, starting once The9's current contract is up with Blizzard on June 8th.NetEase is already the operator of Battle.net in China, supporting Warcraft III and the to-be-released Starcraft II. They have been operating with Blizzard since last August, when they acquired all of the rights to the other Blizzard games. This acquisition only brings NetEase and Blizzard closer together in their business arrangement.What is still up in the air, however, is the fate of Wrath of the Lich King. DoNews, a Chinese news site, has reported that Wrath has been licensed by NetEase, although no formal announcement has yet been made.[Via JLM Pacific Epoch]
Activision-Blizzard is not Blizzard
I worked at Blizzard for close to three years. During my time there I saw a lot of big things happen: the closing of the Console Division and shelfing of Starcraft Ghost, the launch of the first (and second!) World of Warcraft expansion ... and one that some people say is the biggest event in Blizzard's history, Vivendi Games' merger with Activision.The merger was, of course, a controversial move; and, like any corporate maneuver, it's generated a lot of misunderstandings, misreporting, misinformation ... in general, it's been a flurry of mis-es. It's upsetting and frustrating to see so many people not understand what the merger means and, in turn, form stubborn opinions.If you want to help curb ignorance and misunderstanding regarding what's going on with the merger, you're in luck. My former employment at Blizzard means I have a lot of information to share to set the record straight. Even if you're going to continue believing that Blizzard is somehow dipping in quality or in a bad way because of the merger, at least read what I have to say. It'll be worth it.
Activision-Blizzard is not Blizzard, part 2
This portion addresses questions about the merger's affect on Blizzard's day-to-day. So if most publishers control what their developers produce, does Activision control what Blizzard does? No, since Activision is not Blizzard's publisher.What about in areas like support?When I was in support at Blizzard, the only negative change I noticed in my day-to-day work post-merger was that we suddenly had an influx of terrible A-B-themed benefits program posters hung up around the office. Things may have changed since I left, but my contacts have expressed mostly positive opinions about how things are running over there.Won't the merger result in a dip in quality of Blizzard products? Has it already?No and no. The merger gives Blizzard the opportunity to hire more employees to produce more content while maintaining the standard of quality that we expect from Blizzard. It also allows them to keep more employees due to the new financial backing provided by the merger, which affects things like benefits and payroll.Blizzard has stated that you can't get quality content made just by throwing money at it, but money obviously helps sometimes.Did Activision force Blizzard to release Wrath of the Lich King during the holiday season to maximize sales? Let me answer this with an anecdote.Blizzard's office walls are decorated with a lot of stuff -- concept art, murals, lifesize statues of characters, and posters with Blizzard's philosophies on art and design, etc. One of these posters talks about mistakes developers make, like pushing for a holiday release when the game's not done or polished enough.It's my belief, which is backed up by Blizzard bigwigs, that if they didn't feel the expansion was worthy for release then they wouldn't have released it when it was released. What's up with this money-making scheme of releasing Starcraft II as three games? This is because of their post-merger greed, right? I've been hearing this a lot lately. Even our own Mike Schramm commented that the Blizzard that let people play Warcraft 2 on Battle.net for free isn't the same Blizzard that's releasing three Starcraft II games.This really, really confuses me. Why would anyone familiar with Blizzard's work be put off by them releasing expansions? Because that's exactly what the last two Starcraft II titles will be -- expansions. One will add the Zerg campaign and one will add the Protoss campaign, as well as likely multiplayer additions and enhancements to the experience. The single-player campaign for each game will be incredibly robust as well, with tons of in-game engine cinematics and branching events. Devs explained to me that they had three choices once they realized the depth of the Terran campaign: - Shorten and pare down each campaign, resulting in campaigns about as long as Warcraft III, and release it as one game.- Make the campaigns as robust as possible and release the Protoss and Zerg campaigns in expansions.- Put everything in on game exactly how they want it and have Starcraft II come out in 2014.They said the the choice was obvious, and I agree. It's about delivering the player the best experience.Won't this merger result in a lot of stupid cross-promotions?Probably. Activision isn't known for its advertising or marketing subtlety. We dealt with it a little at work -- Activision sent us a ton of copies of Guitar Hero Aerosmith that none of us really cared about (but hey, extra Rock Band guitar, right?), as well as posters in the office with Activision desperately trying to equate our flagship properties with their licensed crap. Yes, Activision, clearly Zeratul is on the same level as the main character from Kung Fu Panda.The best I can hope for is that we'll never see World of Warcraft advertised on KFC combo meal boxes. Blizzard seems to consider the insulation of the WoW universe important, which is why we'll likely never see in-game advertising or "Lars Umlaut <Guitar Hero>" as an NPC.What's your personal opinion on the merger?From a corporate perspective, it makes sense and gives Blizzard access to more funding and assets. You can see that they've begun hiring a ton of designers and other WoW-relation positions, which can only increase the amount of content we get to experience and enjoy.From a gamer's perspective, Activision is an IP-exploiting shovelware mill run by a doddering blowhard who doesn't play games and it hurts my heart to see Blizzard's name attached to them.On the bright side, if you look at your Wrath box, you won't see Activision's logo on it anywhere. That's more than just literal -- it's symbolic, and I hope that it stays that way for a long, long time.If you have any specific questions about the merger that you think I can answer, you're more than welcome to email me at sacco [at] wowinsider dot com and I'll compile the questions and responses in a followup article.
