Changes at Blizzard

[Wirdschowerdn]

http://firstadopter.tumblr.com/post/109489028909/exclusive-activision-blizzard-insider-says

Leaks/Rumors, so take it with a pinch of sodium-chloride:


Hearthstone:

The insider says Hearthstone numbers “are off the charts.” The next expansion is due to come out soon and will be more PvE focused. The team is also experimenting with a 2 vs. 2 version. Stunningly Hearthstone has more than tripled the last publicly released players number of more than 20 million.

Heroes of the Storm:

Executives have “low expectations” for Heroes of the Storm. The insider thinks many of the senior staff on the Heroes of the Storm team will be laid off.

Starcraft 2:

The next Starcraft 2 game is already done and ready to go. The release date is still not settled. The current time window ranges from April to June.

World of Warcraft:

The World of Warcraft team has “quadrupled” its art outsourcing, which has been a bottleneck in the past. The next expansion is almost “feature complete.”

Diablo 3:

The insider says the members of the Diablo III team have been moved to a new project set in the Starcraft universe. The game will be similar to Warframe and contain gameplay aspects from Left4Dead, DayZ, Smite, and other MOBAs. It is in early pre-production, which means late 2016 or later.

Overwatch:

Regarding Overwatch, the insider says the business model is still in flux. They are trying to decide between a free-to-play or expansion type focused model. No matter what, you will initially be able to play the game for free, but how you pay for heroes is still to be decided. The development team is pushing to launch the game this year, but senior executives are skeptical it can be done by then according to the source. There is a tiny chance for a December release, but it’s more likely to come out in early 2016 at this stage.

 

[Metro]

Can't really see a more PvE focused Hearthstone expansions... maybe they mean something like Naxx? News on HoTS doesn't surprise me. They're several years behind the MOBA curve and their production schedule lags badly. I would be surprised if they put in 20 hours a week of work. Still... I can't see them scrapping it at this point. With Overwatch I think they're trying to figure out if a pay-per-hero method is the best route to go. A lot of people hate it for HoTS but... meh...

 

[Sykar]

In before

His face is so lovely. To put a fist between his disgusting smug grin.

http://firstadopter.tumblr.com/post/109489028909/exclusive-activision-blizzard-insider-says

Leaks/Rumors, so take it with a pinch of sodium-chloride:


Hearthstone:

The insider says Hearthstone numbers “are off the charts.” The next expansion is due to come out soon and will be more PvE focused. The team is also experimenting with a 2 vs. 2 version. Stunningly Hearthstone has more than tripled the last publicly released players number of more than 20 million.

Heroes of the Storm:

Executives have “low expectations” for Heroes of the Storm. The insider thinks many of the senior staff on the Heroes of the Storm team will be laid off.

Starcraft 2:

The next Starcraft 2 game is already done and ready to go. The release date is still not settled. The current time window ranges from April to June.

World of Warcraft:

The World of Warcraft team has “quadrupled” its art outsourcing, which has been a bottleneck in the past. The next expansion is almost “feature complete.”

Diablo 3:

The insider says the members of the Diablo III team have been moved to a new project set in the Starcraft universe. The game will be similar to Warframe and contain gameplay aspects from Left4Dead, DayZ, Smite, and other MOBAs. It is in early pre-production, which means late 2016 or later.

Overwatch:

Regarding Overwatch, the insider says the business model is still in flux. They are trying to decide between a free-to-play or expansion type focused model. No matter what, you will initially be able to play the game for free, but how you pay for heroes is still to be decided. The development team is pushing to launch the game this year, but senior executives are skeptical it can be done by then according to the source. There is a tiny chance for a December release, but it’s more likely to come out in early 2016 at this stage.

Damn, I fell for a necro again. Stop doing me like this guys.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Bobby's not even that bad any more. He was even right about Doublefine.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

Looks to me like WoW will be the only serious cash cow pulling Blizzard's business forward, while all other products are small-scale F2P/multiplayer/MOBA games. Kiss a full price Warcraft IV goodbye.

Oh, and fuck you Blizzard.

 

[Black_Willow]

Looks to me like WoW will be the only serious cash cow pulling Blizzard's business forward.

They make fucktons of $$$ on Hearthstone.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

All Blizzard games make fucktons of money. But WoW has that consistent monthly stream of fucktons of money.

 

[Sykar]

Looks to me like WoW will be the only serious cash cow pulling Blizzard's business forward.

They make fucktons of $$$ on Hearthstone.

I thought Hearthstone is a free game?

 

[sser]

Looks to me like WoW will be the only serious cash cow pulling Blizzard's business forward.

They make fucktons of $$$ on Hearthstone.

I thought Hearthstone is a free game?

F2P, P2W.

 

[Hoaxmetal]

Looks to me like WoW will be the only serious cash cow pulling Blizzard's business forward.

They make fucktons of $$$ on Hearthstone.

I thought Hearthstone is a free game?

Free trading card game

 

[abija]

It's not even "trading".