Slashdot Mirror


Microsoft to Sponsor WCG

xIcemanx writes "Microsoft has announced that it will be sponsoring the World Cyber Games through 2008, providing the world's largest e-sports competition with software, hardware, and marketing. let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships."

32 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Emergency Games by SEWilco · · Score: 2, Funny

    At least most of the contestants will be able to play Rock/Paper/Scissors if the Microsoft games aren't functional.

  2. Heart of Darkness by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 3, Funny
    let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships

    Of course not! Microsoft is in this out of the kindness of their pure heart.

    --
    If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
    1. Re:Heart of Darkness by suspected · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Microsoft said they want to support PC gaming, so this is good news for companies like Blizzard who make PC games. While Microsoft's true intentions are only to further their own goal, they also just happen to help many others.

  3. Changes? Preposterous! by Ambiguous+Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    "...let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships."

    There will only be one tiny little change. It will now be called the World XBox Games. But honest, it'll still be the WCG you know and love.

    --
    Their may be a grammatical error, misspeling, or evn a typo in this post.
  4. Re:e-sport? No. by suspected · · Score: 3, Funny

    We better inform chess players that their competitions were never considered a sport.

  5. broodwar better still be in this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    it's the most competitive game there is!

  6. Sony and Playstation missing entirely by Neo-Rio-101 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Just browsing around the website, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that there are no playstation games on the gaming roster here, and Sony is not given a mention anywhere.

    Microsoft, battling for the hearts and minds of professional gamers....

    --
    READY.
    PRINT ""+-0
    1. Re:Sony and Playstation missing entirely by kevmo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If you read the article (haha) you would have seen this:

      The deal also asserts that Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 will be the exclusive gaming platforms for the PC and console for the events, meaning that other console titles for Sony or Nintendo platforms will not figure in the competitions.

      Of course, you can't really expect them to provide anything else, as they are supplying all the hardware/software. Would you really expect them to buy Playstations?

      If WCG didn't like the conditions, they didn't have to do the deal, that simple.

  7. RTFA.... =) by elf · · Score: 4, Informative
    From the article:

    The deal also asserts that Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 will be the exclusive gaming platforms for the PC and console for the events, meaning that other console titles for Sony or Nintendo platforms will not figure in the competitions.


    -elf
  8. Good exposure. by dapho · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is great for games like Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament. They will be getting more exposure from the public and might even go mainstream...

    1. Re:Good exposure. by kevmo · · Score: 3, Funny

      They aren't already mainstream?

      Satoshi, meet sarcasm. Sarcasm, meet Satoshi.

  9. In other news... by wbren · · Score: 5, Funny

    In other news, Redhat was originally supposed to be the new WCG sponsor... until WCG realized they would have to limit competition to KAstroid and Othello.

    --
    -William Brendel
    1. Re:In other news... by Sparr0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      And UT2004, and Quake 4, and Doom 3, and Saveage, and Enemy Territory, and any of a hundred other awesome commercial competitive games that run natively in linux.

      As to upcoming games, UT2007, Savage 2, and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars are all going to run natively in linux.

      Nice try Mr FUD.

    2. Re:In other news... by Jesapoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

      ...and compared to the *thousands* of games offered on windows or windows-and-console only?

      The simple fact is, Windows is THE platform for PC gaming, and naming a handfull of games that run on linux doesn't change that fact.

  10. World Community Grid??? by Switchback · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For a minute there, I thought Microsoft was going to sponsor the World Community Grid. Could you imagine if every new Windows PC shiped with a World Community Grid client? Imagine the power of the grid then...

  11. Bad guy by scolby · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So wait one second...who's the bad guy here...the multi-gazillion dollar corporation that paid a lot of money to put their name on a competition as a means of advertising their products, or the competition that initially put the naming rights up for sale in the first place?

  12. The games: by DanTheLewis · · Score: 4, Funny

    Steve Ballmer Forever: This wisecracking, balding hero takes trusty chair in hand in order to fight off the Googly-eyed hordes.

    Whack-a-Who-da-punk: Hit a person with no face before they destroy Microsoft from within by engaging in serious discussions about the relative inadequacy of the bloated management structure.

    Windows Vista: TBA.

    --

    Q: What did the comedian say to the crowd?
    A: If I knew, this joke would be funny.
    1. Re:The games: by DurendalMac · · Score: 2, Insightful

      What about... AppleJacked - Grab the new features as soon as they're announced by the competition and shoehorn your own half-assed version into the aging, bloated code of your flagship product before your opponents! SimFUD - Climb your way up the management ladder by making a better bullshit campaign about the evils of open source than your opponents! Browserbash - A looming, rival product has stolen precious marketshare, and you need to go into the darkest, deepest depths of the basement to get your web browser development team out of cryogenic storage in time to stop them!

  13. Let's think... by Kuukai · · Score: 5, Informative

    let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships.

    From TFA:
    The deal also asserts that Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 will be the exclusive gaming platforms for the PC and console for the events, meaning that other console titles for Sony or Nintendo platforms will not figure in the competitions.

    Games offered last time:
    -Counter-Strike: Source
    -FIFA Football 2005
    -Need for Speed: Underground 2
    -StarCraft: Brood War
    -Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
    -Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
    -Dead or Alive Ultimate
    -Halo 2


    I'd wager a "No."

    --
    Sendou Wave Kick!!
  14. It's not a sport for champions... by DigiShaman · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ...unless the spectators are in on the fun.

    Video/PC games, like Chess isn't very fun when watching players sit in one place. Unless the sport is athletic, don't expect much of a public following.

    Poker is an exception to the rule however as it imbues drama with other players in a round-table event.

    --
    Life is not for the lazy.
    1. Re:It's not a sport for champions... by suspected · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Video/PC games, like Chess isn't very fun when watching players sit in one place. Unless the sport is athletic, don't expect much of a public following. Poker is an exception to the rule however as it imbues drama with other players in a round-table event.
      But people don't tend to watch the player in video game competitions. The action all happens on the screen, similar to how when you watch TV, you don't watch the producer sitting behind a control panel. Competitive video games are an animal of it's own; it's really hard to compare it to anything else.
  15. Scale Proportion = 999% by Doytch · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Who actually followed the WCG before this and is commenting? Because if you did, you know that the only thing people cared about was PC, and NOTHING ELSE. No one who attends these gives a damn about a PS2 or GC or Xbox competition, and thats the cold hard truth. Starcraft SELLS. FPS deathmatches SELL. This is not going to be any different and someone who thinks so is just staying hip with the times and ragging on MS. (I realise I've just murdered my karma)

    1. Re:Scale Proportion = 999% by suspected · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Starcraft SELLS. FPS deathmatches SELL. This is not going to be any different and someone who thinks so is just staying hip with the times and ragging on MS.
      While I agree with you, they didn't always "SELL!" I think there is a very real potential for console games to become competitive with the introduction of standard online-play. Hopefully Nintendo will host their own competitions.
      (I realise I've just murdered my karma)
      Even though I disagree with you, your comment was legit and your point had substance. I'm sure your karma will be fine.
  16. Re:Fun! by tonsofpcs · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'll play you in broodwar, lets go, 1 on 1, my 80586/133 vs your ultra overloaded PC.

  17. I'm playing Wesnoth by vlad_petric · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... you insensitive clod! :)

    --

    The Raven

  18. Re:Fun! by Bacon+Bits · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How to know when your e-peen is getting too big:
    You only want to play Starcraft for pink slips.

    True competition is a test of skill in a fair and balanced situation, not a means of throwing money around to back up your testosterone. Unless you're playing poker. Betting, gambling, etc only makes things "interesting" because it's a metagame. You get to play two games instead of just the one. However, it's irrelevant to your skill as a player, and therefore not a judge of player quality. Frankly, if you're the type of person who gets excited just because you're betting, it would probably be wiser not to bet at all.

    --
    The road to tyranny has always been paved with claims of necessity.
  19. ...in America by krotkruton · · Score: 3, Informative

    In other countries, South Korea for instance, gaming is treated more like a sport.
    From the article:

    Two cable TV networks, known as Ongamenet and MBCgame, compete for viewers with their own 24-hour programming dedicated to PC and console gaming. Fierce gaming competitions are held, backed by major corporate sponsors, and studios overflow with live audiences trying to catch a glimpse at players who are practically given celebrity status.
    ...
    Their number one program is called Ongamenet Starleague, which is a three-month long Starcraft tournament broadcast live every Friday beginning at 7:00 p.m.
    ...
    According to The Korea Times, Ongamenet and competitor MBCGame have been ranked among the top 20 shows in monthly viewership among South Korea's 99 cable TV channels.


    Yeah, it's definitely not a sport for champions in South Korea. (And that was just the first article I found)

  20. fool by Tom · · Score: 2, Informative

    let's hope this doesn't mean radical changes in the games we see at the championships."

    No, just in the gaming platform. RTFA - it's now Xbox-only. WCG just got assimilated.

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
  21. Actually, no changes. by murrdpirate · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Far as I can tell from the website, the only console games they've had in the past have been from Microsoft: Halo and PGR. If you're into the world cyber games, this will probably just improve their popularity. This is a good thing, ya'll are just blind Microsoft haters as usual.

    1. Re:Actually, no changes. by Photon+Ghoul · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This is a good thing, ya'll are just blind Microsoft haters as usual.

      Yeah! It's not like Microsoft has a history of astroturfing, assimilating and destroying!

  22. It's about time! by seven+of+five · · Score: 2, Funny

    I am so happy to see Microsoft finally doing some marketing. It's been so frustrating, watching their products go unnoticed for so long....

  23. Re:Fun! by elrous0 · · Score: 2, Funny
    We make the challenges, set the pot, and go at it.

    Yeah, pot plays a role in my gameplaying too.

    -Eric

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.