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Blizzard Annouces BlizzCon 2007

Posted by Zonk on Thu Apr 12, 2007 02:19 PM
from the somebody-needs-to-go-dressed-as-rob-pardo dept.
Entertainment Games
moore.dustin writes "Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its second BlizzCon(TM) gaming convention. BlizzCon is a celebration of the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises and the players who have helped make them so popular around the world. This year's event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on August 3 and 4, and will feature various activities for attendees to take part in. Already approved events include discussion panels with Blizzard developers, artist and developer signings, competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents, a silent auction, and live orchestral performances of music from Blizzard games." Somebody save me a Murky.
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[+] StarCraft 2 Terran Gameplay, Single Player Info 107 comments
It isn't all World of Warcraft at BlizzCon this year. That little sequel they're making to StarCraft has gotten quite a bit of attention as well. Gamespot has a liveblog transcript of a StarCraft II demo. This one, unlike the last, focuses on the Terrans rather than the Protoss. Several new units and build options are described, along with a bit about the single-player campaign. The campaign is the focus of Kotaku's game coverage, starring Jim Raynor and the crew of the Hyperion. "Part of the campaign in StarCraft II will be focused on Raynor's efforts to make money but taking jobs like this one, missions that ultimately tie into a larger plot. As you earn money, those funds will be put into purchasing technology--upgrades for units and units themselves. Pardo purchased (read: unlocked) the Viking ship for his next mission. This has been done to give players control over the tech progression of the game, instead of following a locked down set of upgrades. Hiking back up to the bridge, Raynor checks out the Star Map. This is where you'll choose your missions. They're much more open ended than in the previous StarCraft campaigns. You'll be able to pick the planet or system you want to tackle next, progressing the story in your own way. Mission briefings provide the summary, objectives, bonus objectives, mission bounty, and recommended technology, so you'll have to choose which best suits your current needs and matches your current level of tech."
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Blizzard Annouces BlizzCon 2007 25 Comments More /

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  • Seriously, I hope it's not just an excuse for cosplay.

    But if they brought back Diablo for the Wii, they would easily tap into that market!

  • Disappointed (Score:3, Interesting)

    by zyl0x (987342) on Thursday April 12 2007, @02:24PM (#18705783)
    I'm a little disappointed in Blizzard these days. They've gone from the king of adventure/RPG and strategy gaming, to just another MMO developer. I have absolutely no plans to go to the Con, but I desperately hope they'll take this opportunity to announce something other than the next expansion for WoW.

    Diablo 3, anyone?
    • How about Starcraft II? I've been waiting for like 10 years now!
      • Either or, really. I'm getting sick of all this WoW stuff. They might as well rename the company World of Warcraft Expansions inc.
        • Ever since Warcraft II, Blizzard seems to have a tradition of exactly one expansion per game. Hopefully they'll stick to it. There have been many good indications that they're working on Diablo 3, at least.
          • Keep dreaming. The amount of money they make on WoW will keep them making expansions for a loooong time...They'd be insane not to.

            Still, Blizz has been known to run more than one in house development team. I wouldn't be surprised if they dedicated a second team to working on RTS and Diablo-esque titles.
          • I assume *something* is in the running *somewhere* to compete with Hellgate coming out some time this year or next.

            But I assure you, they have planned at LEAST three more WoW expansions. And Starcraft II is "indefinitely postponed" (IGN translated that as cancelled. I believe IGN).
            • OK, I did find an interview [gamesindustry.biz] saying they plan on yearly expansions. Sigh.

              I've been reading diabloii.net off and on since Diablo 2 was released, even though I don't play it anymore. Lately, they've had some news about Hellgate, Mythos (whoo, I got into the alpha), and Diablo 3 rumors. The latest one seems to clinch it:

              Do you think the ramifications of this book impact in the storyline of Diablo 3 the game?

              Knaak: This is a pure collaboration between myself and Chris/Blizzard. All that is written is passe

    • Yes the broad sweeping changes and massive class/role homogenisation introduced by the TBC expansion have almost killed my enjoyment of the game. First raising the level cap and making all my hard-earned raid gear obselete, and then homogenising DPS to such an extent that the primary healing class (priest) is now also one of the top DPS classes, and the former top DPS classes (mage and rogue) are struggling to contribute anything.

      • There's times when I cry about WoW then I realize its exactly the game I hoped for playing all the other MMOs that came before it.

        Really? Sure, WoW is the culmination of the hack-and-slash MMORPGs in the vein of EverQuest. It fills one niche very well. But are your hopes really that low? There's still no worthy successor for fans of Ultima Online circa 1997-2000. Horizons should have been, but apparently management infighting doomed it to irrelevance. Ten years after UO, and I can't name a single MMOG that

          • Bad maths there. The majority of their subscribers are from the China region. In China, their subscribers do not pay a monthly fee, they pay hourly at a rate much cheaper than in the US. Also, people who pay for larger blocks at a time (i.e. 6 months subscription prepaid) pay less (as little as $12 per month) than those paying monthly (at $15 per month). Also bear in mind that at any given time, a bunch of the players could be on a free subscription (Recruit a Friend for example) which reduces revenue.
            • their 8.5 million users doesn't include trial accounts, or accounts that are lapsed. I'm not sure how they calculate overseas numbers, but internet cafes usually pay for blocks of accounts to cover their concurrent users. I'm sure the number generated is at least ballpark accurate.
              • Aye, but the 8.5 million includes overseas (Europe, China) accounts. Remember, in China they pay by the hour (a few cents per hour) not by the month (and are restricted to four hours per 24 hour period of play time). It also includes the people who aren't paying because they recruited a friend (this gets you a free month per friend - heh, this may even be how gold sellers have so many accounts). It may (not sure here) also include the accounts which are free due to being employees, family, or friends of
  • I put on my wizard hat and robe...

    Actually, I can't imagine going to one of those things in costume, and since the reasons I ever do go to big shows like that would be to learn about new products and they really don't have anything other than "yeah, we're gonna work on WoW more... maybe something starcrafty will happen eventually..."

  • Oh god... it begins. (Score:4, Informative)

    by Channard (693317) on Thursday April 12 2007, @02:30PM (#18705869) Journal
    Now you won't need to travel halfway across the country to pay some girl WOW gold to have sex with them [wowinsider.com]. Yes, I hope to god that story's a hoax but it seems all too plausible. I guess the real question is, which is more mentally scarring - a WOW conference or a furry conference?
  • BYOC = Bring Your Own Clothespin (WOW'ers don't generally smell very good.)

    1) Price - $100 - holy crap!

    2) I hope they have a better answer than this in 2007:
    "Will there be wireless internet access for attendees to bring their own computers? BlizzCon will include a LAN area with over 300+ computers, but there will be no wireless internet access. Attendees cannot bring their own computers into the show, but some of the local hotels offer internet capabilities in their hotel rooms if you choose to bring your o
  • Blizzard is notorious for keeping its fans in the dark when it comes to upcoming releases as far as titles and dates are concerned. WoW has been such a success for them, I hope it hasn't deterred them from working on another action RPG or strategy title. You would think that they have enough money by now to start dedicating work to multiple games simultaneously. I'm willing to bet that their hardcore fanbase is looking forward to the next Starcraft or Diablo game rather than another WoW expansion.
  • I would personally be far more eager to see Diablo 3, if the Blizzard North devs hadn't formed a new company and was gearing up for the Hellgate London beta test, with a planned summer 2007 release. ;-) Sure, not the same setting, but I only see that as refreshing.
  • The first thing I thought when I saw this was Starcraft 2. They've been dropping hints about it for a while now.

    Anyone else think that part of the motivation behind this convention is to announce it?
    • Either that or . . . . Universe of Starcraft :). MMORPG's bring in more cash than RTS games. Blizz might be developing the Starcraft equivalent for when WoW starts to wind down.

      Only thing would be that it would be a little difficult to work in some aspects.

      Terrans:
      Marine
      Medic
      Ghost
      Firebat

      Protoss:
      Zealot
      Templar
      Dark Templar
      (I'm guessing Archons would be Templar forms or abilities)

      Zerg:
      Zergling
      Hydralisk
      Infested Terran

      Working in Xel'Naga would be cool too.

      Working in space combat at all would be difficult. Stil
      • A SC MMO would compete almost directly with WOW. they are wiser to make a SC RTS and continue their fine tradition of addicting and occasionally killing asian people (I'm chinese, I can poke fun at us.. and am a war 3 addict... *shiver*.. must play).
        • It wouldn't necessarily complete. WoW was released 3 or 4 years after it was announced. By the time a Starcraft MMORPG was actually released, WoW will likely be winding down. Now I doubt they'll literally flick the switch off to the servers ANY time soon (my guess is you've got 10 years or more left there), but eventually the majority of people are gonna move on to something else. I'm sure Blizzard wants them to move onto another Blizzard product if possible :).
    • Starcraft Ghost - while it wasn't released, it's still part of the series. It doesn't seem likely that they'll drop the entire thing either - there's a lot of work got into that, and when their next project comes out - whatever it is - it'll probably be able to use that codebase, that art, etc.

      From a business point of view, it was sensible for Blizzard to shelve SCG. WoW is huge - put a shitload of effort into it. Making a single fix affects millions of users. Don't divide that effort among multiple game

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