Microsoft has ‘let Blizzard be Blizzard’ following its acquisition, studio says | VGC
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Microsoft has “let Blizzard be Blizzard,” following the acquisition of the veteran developer according to World of Warcraft’s executive producer.
    • remotelove@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      3 months ago

      Blizzard was (still is?) Activision for a number of years as well, so that didn’t help. There is much more to blame and I can’t even begin to pretend like I know all of it, though.

      My own complaint is similar though. When “profit at all costs” takes over, and knowing how to make a quality game is lost, there is usually little hope left.

  • Lols [they/them]@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    3 months ago

    im so glad that blizzards internal culture and conduct align with microsofts values enough for them to skip the hands-on approach theyve shown with other subsidiaries

    • RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      0·
      3 months ago

      Out of the loop here, but my recollection was WOW printed money because they were a subscription service before it was cool. I can’t say I’m surprised, but are they really doubling down with MTX?

      I feel like the justification for subscriptions is “this way we can afford to keep adding new content.” To turn around and go “oh, BTW, you have to pay separately for that new content you’re subscribing for” just feels like an extra slap in the face. But I guess you do you WOW players. They’ll keep pulling this kind of BS as long as folks keep paying for it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

      • Maestro@fedia.io
        0·
        3 months ago

        Remember, that’s the third time you have to pay! The first rug pull is when you buy the game and then find out that the entire world is utterly devoid of players because everyone only plays the latest expansion. But you can’t access it because you don’t have a subscription. On top of a full price game.

        Besides the switcheroo, I also think it’s sad for WoW. Its world is massive and beautiful and utterly dead. Everyone is only in the latest zone. The game would be better named “Zone of Warcraft”. I love how e.g. Elder Scrolls Online solved it. They made all zones viable. You will see players everywhere. It’s a real contrast.

        • TrousersMcPants@lemmy.worldEnglish
          0·
          3 months ago

          I don’t understand why people whine about subscriptions so much. Servers ain’t fucking cheap to run for millions of players, the options are microtransactions or subscriptions and I prefer subscription almost every time.

          • Woozythebear@lemmy.worldEnglish
            01·
            3 months ago

            People would be OK paying a subscription if Blizzard didn’t fire all of their game masters and let the game be infested with bots and extremely racist and homophobic players. Ticket wait time are 2 months… you’ll pay $30 before your report is even seen and then completely ignored.

    • Hypx@fedia.io
      42·
      3 months ago

      Honestly, Microsoft bought them because they thought it can magically catapult them to #1 in the gaming industry. And they have, in a sense. The advantage of having so much money that you can buy your way into the industry. But the problem is that Microsoft has no idea what to do next.