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More On Blizzard Departures, Arrivals, Action Figures

Posted by simoniker on from the key-project-is-lost-vikings-three-norseketeers dept.

Thanks to GameSpy for their interview with Bill Roper, quizzing the ex-Blizzard veteran further on his recent departure from the company. He confirms: "..the uncertainly surrounding [Blizzard's] future in regards to who was going to own us understandably caused a lot of speculation and uncertainty. Our lack of participation in the process made it difficult for us to provide any insight to the people we worked with." In related news, Blizzard has announced that former Diablo II lead programmer Rick Seis will now lead Blizzard North, who "..will be streamlining their teams into one core group in order to focus.. on one key project." Finally, GameSpot has photos of the new Warcraft III action figures, including the death knight Prince Arthas, the night elf archer Shandris Feathermoon, and the dread lord Tichondrius.

16 comments

  1. Quick! check the pigeon's entrails! by August_zero · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Gettin kinda spooky over there...

    Sure Blizzard was never much of an innovater, but they are none the less a very strong developer that certainly know how to manipulate the hype machine as well as or better than they write code.

    News like this, on the advent of the company branching off into new waters (starcraft: ghost, and world of war craft) starts to make me wonder whats going on over there. I would hate to see them turn into another "me too" developer and get absorbed by EA or Faux Atari.

    --
    On Wall Street they say "buy low, sell high" On the pad we say, "buy high, sell high" Isn't that somehow better?
    1. Re:Quick! check the pigeon's entrails! by Corporal+Tunnel · · Score: 2

      Yeah, blizzard isn't much of an innovater[sic], except for creating two whole game generes, which they are still the best at despite dozens of failed clones from other companies!

    2. Re:Quick! check the pigeon's entrails! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which generes would those be?

    3. Re:Quick! check the pigeon's entrails! by silentbobdp · · Score: 1

      You comment on someone's spelling, and then misspell something yourself. Joy.

      And no, Blizzard did not invent the "clickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclickclic kclickclicklevelupclickclickclickclick" so-called RPG. They were the first to have it decently online, though, as far as I know.

      And they didn't invent the RTS either.

      And what else have they made?

      --
      --Moo.
    4. Re:Quick! check the pigeon's entrails! by August_zero · · Score: 1

      Diablo--->Modern online version of "NetHACK"

      Warcraft--->direct descendent of "Dune 2:Battle for Arakkis" thats the earliest game i can think of with the whole, gather/build/attack format, I am sure someone can quote an earlier game.

      --
      On Wall Street they say "buy low, sell high" On the pad we say, "buy high, sell high" Isn't that somehow better?
    5. Re:Quick! check the pigeon's entrails! by LineNoiz · · Score: 1

      Dune II: Battle for Arrakis - Released 1992

      Herzog Zwei - Released 1990

      I believe Herzog is the oldest RTS game out there. I could be wrong, though...

      --
      "Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit." --Oscar Wilde
  2. Good interview. by Dark+Nexus · · Score: 1

    I especially liked the answer to the second question on the second page.

    Oh yeah, the insight into what happened was nice too.

    Blizzard will go on without them (though maybe not quite "business as usual" for awhile), and they'll go on to hopefully work on the quality projects they were accustomed to at Blizzard.

    --
    Dark Nexus
    "Sanity is calming, but madness is more interesting."
  3. BUSH = MANIPULATION by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    CIA Got Uranium Reference Cut in October
    Why Bush Cited It In January Is Unclear

    By Walter Pincus and Mike Allen
    Sunday, July 13, 2003; Page A01

    CIA Director George J. Tenet successfully intervened with White House officials to have a reference to Iraq seeking uranium from Niger removed from a presidential speech last October, three months before a less specific reference to the same intelligence appeared in the State of the Union address, according to senior administration officials.

    Tenet argued personally to White House officials, including deputy national security adviser Stephen Hadley, that the allegation should not be used because it came from only a single source, according to one senior official. Another senior official with knowledge of the intelligence said the CIA had doubts about the accuracy of the documents underlying the allegation, which months later turned out to be forged.

    The new disclosure suggests how eager the White House was in January to make Iraq's nuclear program a part of its case against Saddam Hussein even in the face of earlier objections by its own CIA director. It also appears to raise questions about the administration's explanation of how the faulty allegations were included in the State of the Union speech.

    It is unclear why Tenet failed to intervene in January to prevent the questionable intelligence from appearing in the president's address to Congress when Tenet had intervened three months earlier in a much less symbolic speech. That failure may underlie his action Friday in taking responsibility for not stepping in again to question the reference. "I am responsible for the approval process in my agency," he said in Friday's statement.

    As Bush left Africa yesterday to return to Washington from a five-day trip overshadowed by the intelligence blunder, he was asked whether he considered the matter over. "I do," he replied. White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters yesterday that "the president has moved on. And I think, frankly, much of the country has moved on, as well."

    But it is clear from the new disclosure about Tenet's intervention last October that the controversy continues to boil, and as new facts emerge a different picture is being presented than the administration has given to date.

    Details about the alleged attempt by Iraq to buy as much as 500 tons of uranium oxide were contained in a national intelligence estimate (NIE) that was concluded in late September 2002. It was that same reference that the White House wanted to use in Bush's Oct. 7 speech that Tenet blocked, the sources said. That same intelligence report was the basis for the 16-word sentence about Iraq attempting to buy uranium in Africa that was contained in the January State of the Union address that has drawn recent attention.

    Administration sources said White House officials, particularly those in the office of Vice President Cheney, insisted on including Hussein's quest for a nuclear weapon as a prominent part of their public case for war in Iraq. Cheney had made the potential threat of Hussein having a nuclear weapon a central theme of his August 2002 speeches that began the public buildup toward war with Baghdad.

    In the Oct. 7 Cincinnati speech, the president for the first time outlined in detail the threat Hussein posed to the United States on the eve of a congressional vote authorizing war. Bush talked in part about "evidence" indicating that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. The president listed Hussein's "numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists," satellite photographs showing former nuclear facilities were being rebuilt, and Iraq's attempts to purchase high-strength aluminum tubes for use in enriching uranium for nuclear weapons.

    There was, however, no mention of Niger or even attempts to purchase uranium from other African countries, wh

  4. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN JEWS RUN THE COUNTRY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
  5. Things to come by ruprechtjones · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I am predicting that whatever Roper's new company is, it will become the gem of the industry that Blizzard was 2 years ago. RoperCo will be known for it's quality, whilst Blizzard will be known for it's past hits and it's current turmoil. Here's hoping that Diablo III comes from RoperCo and not Blizzard...

    --
    Kip Hawley is an idiot.
    1. Re:Things to come by gedanken · · Score: 2, Insightful

      It is a given that blizzard is going to work on diablo 3. perhaps roper and co left because they were tired of working on that type of game? there is no way they can make diablo 3 themselves, but I do look forward to what they will make.

  6. Uhhhh by Kelz · · Score: 1

    night elf archer Shandris Feathermoon

    Last time I checked Shandris got killed by Arthas and was brought back as a banshee on RoC, then mysteriously came back in FT as a dark ranger. She's undead f00 :P

    1. Re:Uhhhh by Corporal+Tunnel · · Score: 1

      No that was Sylvanis Windrunner, not Shandris.

    2. Re:Uhhhh by Kelz · · Score: 1

      Gah Shandris, Sylvanis, they all sound the same!

      Thanks for clearin it up tho :)

  7. CHENEY ISN'T JEWISH by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

  8. More ex-Blizzard people... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Are working on Goblin Commander.