You probably missed reading memos between Activision executives who bemoaned the lack of monetization and "social"(of course, there is some social aspect) in St

You probably missed reading memos between Activision executives who bemoaned the lack of monetization and "social"(of course, there is some social aspect) in Starcraft 2. In fact, Starcraft 2 is considered a bit of a failure monetarily because most players do not pay monthly(not counting some markets like Russia). Sure, there are two expansions incoming (which Activision will have to figure out a way to make multiplayer players to pay for). So, while one can argue that at mid-level Blizzard is still the old commitment to quality gameplay, the high level management could care less about quality of the game. Unfortunately, when the two clash, lower level has to make compromises to live with the demands of the higher-ups.