Blizzard - Editorial @ Pixel Gate

Couchpotato

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Pixel Gate has posted a new article that ponders if 2014 could be Blizzard's best year. I'll leave that up to you as I'm not a fan of Blizzard lately.

2014 could be the year of Blizzard if all goes to plan. Hearthstone has the potential to be the next big thing, Warlord of Draenor could breathe new life into World of Warcraft, and Reaper of Souls could bring in the money while repairing Diablo‘s slightly tarnished image. With the potential for success there is always a chance of failure. It all remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, though: Blizzard fans are in for an interesting 2014.
More information.
 
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The article seems a little over optimistic. Blizzard certainly has a few interesting developments for 2014, but nothing earth-shattering.

Hearthstone might be a fun little free-to-play card battle game. Warlords of Draenor looks like a fun expansion that will bring some players back into the fold, but likely nowhere near the WotLK peaks. I personally will probably pick it up to see the re-imagined Outland zones and the garrisons. And interest in Diablo III has cooled.

It will be a good year sales-wise for the company, but their best? Not likely.
 
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Hearthstone is a blast to play, though I wish the F2P elements were toned down a bit.

Honestly, I think Blizz gets too much crap. Sure, I have issues with Diablo 3, but I think Starcraft 2 is still a great game. I haven't played WoW for about.. 8 years, so I have no comment on it.
 
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I'm looking forward to Hearthstone, and I'll probably pick up the D3 expansion. I'm done with WoW though, and I've never tired a MOBA, but maybe Heroes of the Storm will be the game that finally changes that.

If nothing else it will probably be a highly profitable year for Blizzard. Even if only 10% of D3 purchasers buy the expansion, it will still outsell most other games.
 
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Bliz lost a LOT of their key people right around the time of WoW release. Not sure why that is, but my guess is that they grew too big for their own good. Creatively driven people tend to want to have more intimate control over their work.

But that doesn't mean they're all crap - and I still think they deliver quality products. They're just not as strong, creatively speaking, as they used to be.

No, they were never innovators - but they always managed to progress what they stole - and that's kinda what I'm not seeing anymore.

It's like they've lost their key creative people - and rely almost solely on production values and craftsmanship.

D3 is better than people give it credit for - but it's definitely NOT the D2 sequel a lot of us were hoping for.

The expansion looks like it might bring it up a good notch, but it still won't be anything like I would have wanted. It will just be good in different ways, and I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

The biggest issue, actually, is the removal of the auction house. I think that decision is a giant mistake - but I know I'm in the minority thinking that.

The problem was never the AH - it was how the AH was required to progress, and the abysmally bad itemization.
 
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