3 ms·

Next: Blizzard

by mococa 3mo ago

Next: Blizzard

datakan 3mo ago
Considering how bad Blizzard has gotten the last 10 or so years, I would expect a bloodbath there. I don't know how they avoid it.
- lenerdenator 3mo ago
  Blizzard's golden goose is WoW, and WoW is an ideal IP for a software company: you have people who have been playing it for two decades who will continue to pay a subscription no matter what. The hard work was done decades ago. id, on the other hand, has to keep making better and better new games every couple of years, and each one is a risk. There's a reason game companies want to move towards the digital-only subscription model, and Xbox has been going that way for some time. As "bad" as Blizzard is, it's got the right model. That's what they care about, not about workplace culture or innovation.
  - tyfon 3mo ago
    For me they are killing the goose. WoW has become quite soulless after the changes where everyone gets the same end game equipment but you have to grind upgrade currency to improve it. My wife and I used to play quite a bit but it doesn't really engage anymore. Perhaps we are getting too old, but we should be in the correct customer segment (mid 40 years old). Now I have spun up a local wotlk server with player bots powered by ollama which is actually a bit fun again.
    - lenerdenator 3mo ago
      I agree, that approach to game development is soulless. I don't really play any new video games anymore. In the rare instance I do play games, it's something from 15+ years ago. The games were designed to be played, beaten, and that was it. It wasn't an effort to keep you locked in forever. It became that. Then it became a soulless effort to keep you locked in forever. Unfortunately, soul doesn't matter. The quarterly statement does.
- kcb 3mo ago
  Why? What unsuccessful game does Blizzard have?
  - datakan 3mo ago
    All of them. Diablo is dead. They can't capitalize on StarCraft. All they have left with WoW is micro transactions for old users. Overwatch has been a disaster for years. Blizzard hasn't had a win in a very long time.
    - anthonypasq 3mo ago
      lol
    - crims0n 3mo ago
      Diablo is currently in a bit of a resurgence, the latest expansion was quite good.
      - datakan 3mo ago
        I'm sure both players love it
    - panza 3mo ago
      Diablo IV is not dead: https://mmo-population.com/today https://mmo-population.com/today
Someone1234 3mo ago
Blizzard is such a shell now, that I doubt we'd notice.
CuriouslyC 3mo ago
A big chunks of Blizzard has already pre-emptively unionized for this exact reason.
- oreally 3mo ago
  I think it's their first big test of a layoff? Am interested to see how this plays out. In any case, WoW has been stagnating for quite some time even before the merger. The devs act as though everything is slow because it needs to be. Classic+ could've been much better.
- xienze 3mo ago
  Do you think having a union means the entire organization can't get shitcanned? Ask all those auto workers whose jobs got shipped to Mexico over the years how much being unionized helped.

Next: Blizzard

by mococa 3mo ago

Next: Blizzard

Considering how bad Blizzard has gotten the last 10 or so years, I would expect a bloodbath there. I don't know how they avoid it.

lenerdenator 3mo ago
Blizzard's golden goose is WoW, and WoW is an ideal IP for a software company: you have people who have been playing it for two decades who will continue to pay a subscription no matter what. The hard work was done decades ago. id, on the other hand, has to keep making better and better new games every couple of years, and each one is a risk. There's a reason game companies want to move towards the digital-only subscription model, and Xbox has been going that way for some time. As "bad" as Blizzard is, it's got the right model. That's what they care about, not about workplace culture or innovation.
- tyfon 3mo ago
  For me they are killing the goose. WoW has become quite soulless after the changes where everyone gets the same end game equipment but you have to grind upgrade currency to improve it. My wife and I used to play quite a bit but it doesn't really engage anymore. Perhaps we are getting too old, but we should be in the correct customer segment (mid 40 years old). Now I have spun up a local wotlk server with player bots powered by ollama which is actually a bit fun again.
  - lenerdenator 3mo ago
    I agree, that approach to game development is soulless. I don't really play any new video games anymore. In the rare instance I do play games, it's something from 15+ years ago. The games were designed to be played, beaten, and that was it. It wasn't an effort to keep you locked in forever. It became that. Then it became a soulless effort to keep you locked in forever. Unfortunately, soul doesn't matter. The quarterly statement does.
kcb 3mo ago
Why? What unsuccessful game does Blizzard have?
- datakan 3mo ago
  All of them. Diablo is dead. They can't capitalize on StarCraft. All they have left with WoW is micro transactions for old users. Overwatch has been a disaster for years. Blizzard hasn't had a win in a very long time.
  - anthonypasq 3mo ago
    lol
  - crims0n 3mo ago
    Diablo is currently in a bit of a resurgence, the latest expansion was quite good.
    - datakan 3mo ago
      I'm sure both players love it
  - panza 3mo ago
    Diablo IV is not dead: https://mmo-population.com/today https://mmo-population.com/today

Someone1234 3mo ago

Blizzard is such a shell now, that I doubt we'd notice.

CuriouslyC 3mo ago

A big chunks of Blizzard has already pre-emptively unionized for this exact reason.

oreally 3mo ago
I think it's their first big test of a layoff? Am interested to see how this plays out. In any case, WoW has been stagnating for quite some time even before the merger. The devs act as though everything is slow because it needs to be. Classic+ could've been much better.
xienze 3mo ago
Do you think having a union means the entire organization can't get shitcanned? Ask all those auto workers whose jobs got shipped to Mexico over the years how much being unionized helped.