Slashdot Mirror
Starcraft Ghost Off The Cube
Gamespot has the news that Blizzard's upcoming action/stealth title Starcraft: Ghost is officially no longer in production for the Gamecube. From the article: "Speaking to GameSpot, a Blizzard staffer confirmed that the game is now only being released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2, meaning the previously announced GameCube edition has been canceled ... Unfortunately the GameCube has no online service and since so much work is going in to the online portion, it would be additional work to release only part of the intended game."
Considering when it was announced years ago, you have to wonder a bit. Does this matter? It's like saying that Duke Nukem Forever won't come out on the GameCube -- it's sure as shit not coming out on anything else, either!
After 3 years, it's not going to live up to expectations anyways. The edge of gameplay is further out, and whatever monetary hit they took developing a game in 2002 and 2003 is 100% wasted money. Some of the code and art may transfer, but the gameplay and graphics standard have been raised in the meantime. Anything over 18 months is wasted money in game development.
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Internet Explorer (n): Another bug -- that is, a feature that can't be turned off -- in Windows.
Still, they make it sound like the game is worthless without the online mode so if I was planning to buy it that would be a definite reason not to as I don't use my PS2 for online.
Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
So why are they dropping it just for the GameCube? By their logic they should be dropping the PS2 version also since all it has is an internet adapter. X-Box is the only console with an online service.
That was my first thought as well. The Gamecube has a broadband adapter (i've sadly never gotten to use mine... but I have it.)
If they are cancelling the Gamecube version just because they have no central online service then would not the Playstation 2 version be cancelled as they have no central online service. XBox has the Live service so that qualifies as a central online service... but as far as I know Playstation 2 does not. Didn't we just have an article yesterday about how Sony isn't going to have one for the Playstation 3 as well? They are going to be running their own servers AFAIK...
so the whole argument of why they are dropping Gamecube support sounds like crap to me. Now if they had just said "Most Gamecube owners do not have the broadband adapter. We don't want to make our customers purchase this hardware just to play our game." I might see the argument as a little more valid... Hell I might accept "We just don't feel like doing it."
"why don't you just slip into something more comfortable...like a coma!"
Either way, I guarantee it has nothing to do with online multiplayer. *Every* console game is sold on the strength of the single-player experience. Only PC games (BF2, CS) can be sold as primariliy multiplayer. Sure, Halo grew into a MP juggernaut, but everyone played the SP first.
Why PS2 and not GC? well... look at the numbers and the fanbase.
What really ticks me off is that these companies try to spin *everything* and think we believe all their crap. Note to PR departments (especially Blizzard's): WE DON'T BELIEVE YOU.
And how many games make use of it? How many consumers are likely to own one? How does the market penetration compare to X-Box Live and the PS2's online services?
While it's technically wrong to say that the Cube has no online services, in any serious business decision, you cannot include the Cube's network adaptor as a factor. It's sold far too few and it's not going to start selling them now, so late in the cycle.
Blizzard's decision makes perfect sense and I doubt most people outside of slashdot games will even notice.
There is far more consoles that do not have online than there are that do. It makes perfect sense to sell more games to more users to make more money. If the game was any good they would come out with a robust single player to sell to the majority of console users. This shows their lack of confidence in the game over all and in the single player mode.
The single player mode is not good enough to sell the game to enough Gamecube owners to make it profitable for that platform. That says much about the game for any console owner.
Yes the GameCube has a broadband adaptor. But Nintendo show absolutley no interest in it at all. There are two whole online games availible in Europe (PSOI&II, PSOIII), and another two games that support LAN play (Mario Kart and Kirby Air Ride). Compared to Sony, who have managed to get a fair selection of online games, and intergrated it into newer consoles. The PS2 doesn't have a unified online service, but Sony support online game development for it (they've actually developed some online games themselves for one thing).
So you'd be trying to sell an online (action) game on a platform who's manufacturer couldn't give a fuck about online, and whoes current online portfolio consists of a couple of RPGs.
Plus, the GameCube is practically dead, at least in the UK, and AFAIK it's in 3rd place in North America as well. Considering the game is probably aimed at the "western" markets, it makes sense to concentrate on the #1 and #2 systems in the markets, not the #3, especially one that doesn't have any kind of online user base (barring PSO players), and is loosing steam (and shelf space). They probably just decided it would'nt be worth putting any more money in on the GameCube version as they wouldn't get enough sales to justify it.
10 PRINT "LOOK AROUND YOU ";
20 GOTO 10