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BlizzCon 2006 Unlikely

1up is reporting that there is unlikely to be a BlizzCon 2006. While last year's event was a success, the company has no plans to make it a yearly event. From the article: "Blizzard has a notorious past when it comes to shipping products on time. Less focus on putting a con together means production time going to the game development of the expansion, making sure they make their targeted release date before the end of 2006. In the end, would you rather go to a con or be cruising the Outlands with your flying mount?"

45 comments

  1. I'd rather do both. by dividedsky319 · · Score: 4, Funny
    In the end, would you rather go to a con or be cruising the Outlands with your flying mount?"
    I don't know about you, but I'd rather be cruising BlizzCon on my flying mount.
    1. Re:I'd rather do both. by I+Like+Pudding · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't know about you, but I'd rather be cruising BlizzCon on my flying mount.

      I bet you have just the prettiest neon glow-in-the-dark glitter puff unicorn posters hanging in your bedroom

    2. Re:I'd rather do both. by PaganRitual · · Score: 1

      I bet you have just the prettiest neon glow-in-the-dark glitter puff unicorn posters hanging in your bedroom

      I'll bet my Tenderheart Bear AND that My Little Pony whose tail I cut off that mine are prettier than his.

  2. What a choice! by WinPimp2K · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmm attending a con or cruising the Outlands on a flying mount.

    Blizzard, you must by all means dicth the convention. Obviously the folks who should have developed my flying car wasted time attending Star Trek conventions in the 70's. I hold Paramount fully liable for my lack of a flying car. They seduced multiple generations of engineers away from flying car development with their nasty conventions.

    --

    You either believe in rational thought or you don't
  3. The problem with a con by Scorpion265 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Is that sure, you get to meet your guildmates etc. but it's going to get boring, I mean, all I ever talk to them about is the game, and if there is no game to play.... Lots of awkward silences. But thats just me, I should note I've never been to a con. Or played world of warcraft. Long live EVE.

    --
    I am full of goo... black evil goo
  4. true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    as blizzard has shown millions of gamers already; real life is over-rated.

    lock yourself in your room and never come out! (especially if it means a faster expansion pack release)

    besides, we forgot how to drive anything other than mechanical chickens, so how would we get there?

  5. Starcraft Ghost by jon1986 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How about playing Starcraft Ghost instead of cruising on a flying mount.

    1. Re:Starcraft Ghost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I like to call it Ghost Nukem Forever.

    2. Re:Starcraft Ghost by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except the fact that Duke Nukem Forever is coming out in December... Starcraft Ghost ist kaput! Blizzard actually canceled the game completely.

      Too bad too, was a decent ideal, but they just dropped it completely.

      As for mounts! I wish I could go to the grocery-store on a Griphon. That thing will ever cary your bags for you! I'll feel like an innocent old lady. Niceee...

  6. asdfasdfasdf by blahblah987654321 · · Score: 0, Troll

    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO not the first comment. But overall, Blizcon is a very anticipated event

    1. Re:asdfasdfasdf by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      what? how did this crap get modded up?

      maybe it was the clever title, or the sad attempt to seem interested in Blizzcon.

      i feel like i should also add "ROFL" and "OMGLOL" for good measure.

      now, on topic, maybe blizzard just realized that blizzcon only brings out the freaks:
      http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr= &q=blizzcon+murloc

      that's right, those are full-grown men dressed like murlocs!

  7. No sponsors = no con by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Looks like the sponsors of last years event (http://www.blizzcon.com/) were Intel, NVidia and "Games for Windows". I wonder who walked?

    Two "no-go" decision makers for attendees may also have been:

    1) Price - $85/120 - yikes!

    2) "Will there be wireless internet access for attendees to bring their own computers? BlizzCon will include a LAN area with over 300+ computers, but there will be no wireless internet access. Attendees cannot bring their own computers into the show, but some of the local hotels offer internet capabilities in their hotel rooms if you choose to bring your own computer."

    1. Re:No sponsors = no con by moe.ron · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Will there be wireless internet access for attendees to bring their own computers? BlizzCon will include a LAN area with over 300+ computers, but there will be no wireless internet access. Attendees cannot bring their own computers into the show, but some of the local hotels offer internet capabilities in their hotel rooms if you choose to bring your own computer."

      What kind of convention is this then? The whole point of a gaming convention is gaming. If you can't bring your own computer, you won't be doing as much gaming. This sounds like more of a tradeshow with 300+ demo machines setup than it does a gaming convention with unlimited LAN access for anyone to plug in their machine and play how they please. Otherwise its going to be people coming from all over the world to do what in a hotel room they could have done at home: sit alone in a small, dimly lit room playing WoW.

    2. Re:No sponsors = no con by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      maybe you dont know the difference between a lan party and a convention?

    3. Re:No sponsors = no con by schotty · · Score: 1

      From what you said right there, unless this is a 5 or 7 day event, there is no chance in hell I would pay the airfare and for a hotel for the con, much less pay the admission and deal with stupid people.

      Please tell me there was more to it last time around.

      --
      Sigs are nice guns ...
    4. Re:No sponsors = no con by freshman_a · · Score: 2, Funny

      I agree. I can meet the devs, play unreleased content, watch costume contests, and see Level 60 Elite Tauren Chieftan play any day of the week. I'd rather pay $85 + airfare + hotel to lug my computer half way across the country to play multiplayer StarCraft and WarCraft with a bunch of other people. I mean, it's not like I can't do that from home via Battle.net or anything.

  8. Con / Servers / Expansion by ryane67 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    They've lost so many customers to poor server stability that they know a con isnt going to bring any market share back. An expansion pack will... ...if they can increase their service stability in the mean time.

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    ?SYNTAX ERROR IN LINE 42
  9. Onions and cheese by NekoXP · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cons usually smell like guys who haven't been from their desk to the bathroom because they were too busy grinding.. uhh.. their levels. Yeah, levels.

    I don't play Warcraft. I guess ditch the con? Keep these guys in their rooms and duct tape the door seal!

    1. Re:Onions and cheese by b1t+r0t · · Score: 1
      gamer funk > fanboy funk > > > cat litter box > onions and cheese

      Please, don't go insulting two wonderful foods by comparing them with gamer funk.

      --

      --
      "Open source is good." - Steve Jobs
      "Open source is evil." - Microsoft
  10. Neither. by jmhewitt · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I'd rather play Starcraft 2.

    1. Re:Neither. by GodBlessTexas · · Score: 1

      I agree completely. Why all the emphasis on the Warcraft Universe when there's so much devotion worldwide to the Starcraft one? Not that it matters, as they'd just ruin it by turning it into a crapp 3D RTS like the did with Warcraft III.

      --
      Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...
    2. Re:Neither. by ryane67 · · Score: 1

      Agreed. RTS + Leveling a character + attmpted 3d environment in the lowest rez possible = blah.

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      ?SYNTAX ERROR IN LINE 42
    3. Re:Neither. by ryane67 · · Score: 1

      err.. rather, too large of an interface.

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      ?SYNTAX ERROR IN LINE 42
    4. Re:Neither. by bobthesloth · · Score: 1

      Remember the World of Starcraft aprils fools joke? I don't even play WoW, but that sounded incredibly cool. I'd play that. Hopefully Blizzard will start making a real Starcraft MMORPG sometime.

  11. Not really by Mustang+Matt · · Score: 1

    They're still gaining more customers than they are losing. Even most of the lost customers come back. Server stability is important, but once you get a taste of the wowcrack, it's hard to leave. I've left twice. I'm only back on a friend's account occassionally. I refuse to fire my account back up until they fix PVP so that it's based on skill and not completely on time. Working full time and having a family > high warlord.

    --
    The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. - Benjamin Franklin
    1. Re:Not really by Gropo · · Score: 1
      Working full time and having a family > high warlord.
      Hell, working part time and having a cohabitant girlfriend > Champion for that matter ;D
      --
      I hate Grammar Nazi's
    2. Re:Not really by snuf23 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

      I left the game awhile after hitting 60. Mostly because I couldn't commit the time to raiding and found the majority of end game activities to be dull, repetitive time sinks. At the time I was pretty sure I'd come back for Burning Crusade, now I'm not so sure. A couple of the questions on my mind:

      1. How will they balance the expansion between epic equipped raiding characters and blue wearing non-raiders? Itemization causes a huge disparity in power between level 60 characters.
      2. How well will their server architecture handle the flood of people renewing their accounts once the expansion comes out? I see a large potential for overloading of the servers again. I can't stand paying to wait in a queue.

      --
      Sometimes my arms bend back.
    3. Re:Not really by Brownstar · · Score: 1

      1. Not that big of an issue. Some of the low 60 stuff might be very simple for AQ40 and Naxx geared raiders. But those are the type of people that are going to try that stuff maybe once, on their power grind up to 70, to get into the same type of end game material that they currently enjoy.

      People that have recently hit 60, or don't have high end raiding gear will possibly take their time going through the low 60 stuff, increasing their gear to match what the the previous top tier raiders had at 60, and by the time they hit 70 they'll be on an even ground. Until the hardcore raiders start getting the high level 70's raid gear and recreate the gap. Similar to the way that a twinked out level 19 characters gear becomes a non-issue if the toon were to advance to 30 with no gear upgrades in comparison to an average level 30 toon.

      People that don't like the end game, but prefer to level alts up from 0-60 now have 2 new races and 2 new areas to level up to 60 or 70 now.

      PvPers? Who knows how Blizz's PvP changes will go.

      2. Currently Blizz just rolled out a bunch of new server clusters. They are also migrating all of the original servers to new hardware. Will this be enough? We'll find out when the expansion hits.

    4. Re:Not really by Brownstar · · Score: 1

      Oh, and people that like to find things to complain about no matter what, will still find things to complain about.

  12. That is just great! by ab0mb88 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now where am I going to meet that hot night elf that I have been dating on WoW. At this rate I am going to die a virgin.

  13. grown men dressed like murlocs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    did anyone read my previous post?

    http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr= &q=blizzcon+murloc

    that is all the reason you need to not have another Blizzcon

  14. I'd dress up as lag by everphilski · · Score: 3, Funny

    (it's funny. laugh.)

    1. Re:I'd dress up as lag by PaganRitual · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but if you rock up a week after the event, no one will be there to get the joke.

  15. Reporting or Regurgitating? by Deluxe_247 · · Score: 2, Informative

    From TFA:
    "We haven't yet begun planning a BlizzCon for this year, and truthfully it isn't intended as an annual event. We had a lot of fun though, and we're looking forward to getting another one going and inviting everyone to come hang out with us and check out everything that is Blizzard."
    Original Link to Post:
    http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.aspx?fn=w ow-general&t=8612315&tmp=1#post8612315

    The first one was a hit (apparently, I wasn't there.) Tickets did sell out, and there were some really sexy (and.. uhhh... unfortunately not so sexy) ladies dressed up as Succubus! (Im sure /.ers can appreciate that!) The next BlizzCon will likely be to announce the next BIG project after Burning Crusade is released - likely Hero Classes, another expansion, or a new game in the works (StarCraft 2/WC4/Whatever).

    --
    Its Deluxe, son. Deluxe!
  16. Resources by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "Less focus on putting a con together means production time going to the game development of the expansion, making sure they make their targeted release date before the end of 2006. In the end, would you rather go to a con or be cruising the Outlands with your flying mount?"


    Soo.... the guys who design and code the game are the same ones who plan the Blizzcon??

    1. Re:Resources by zstlaw · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Ummm it was successful wasn't it? Imagine what is would have been like if marketing or HR had organized it instead. All brochures and sit-down sessions. *shudder*

      Developers are much smarter and should get to do fun things more often. Honestly, I am absolutely not biased what-so-ever.

    2. Re:Resources by ad0gg · · Score: 1
      Soo.... the guys who design and code the game are the same ones who plan the Blizzcon??

      Isn't it obvious that blizard outsourced their login server code to a non technical department?

      --

      Have you ever been to a turkish prison?

    3. Re:Resources by _xeno_ · · Score: 1

      Developer panels. They had the developers spend time talking with people at the con and announcing upcoming content. So while I doubt the developers were actively planning the convention (that'd be marketing's job), they were still involved with the con itself and preparing material for it. Which would, indeed, be time not spent developing the game.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little relative jumps, all alike.
  17. Why not have a Virtual Con? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1, Funny

    Designate a special area online and let people attend as their characters, and enter areas such as:

    1. The Valley of Optimizing Characters
    2. Mountains of the Efficient Guild
    3. River Tales - or how to curse properly in Dark Elvish

    Then people can read the signs and travel there, and get the same basic effect (minus the beer and furtive sex) as a real con.

    I mean, most of them are already online already ...

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  18. Well, THAT's pretty stupid of them... by hapwned · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Everquest has held conventions for years at about an annual rate. Sony has never reached the population or subscriber base that WoW has and yet they were able to hold "Fan Faires" for their players quite often. The players loved it and it brought the community even closer together for those that could make the events. Sponsors helped out, but it wasn't about making money. It was about creating more interest in the already addictive game. In other words, nothing BAD comes out of holding one of these. If the only excuse the Blizzard employees can come up with deals with loss of development time and "how much work it is! omg!", then that's a very arrogant, non-creative, and ignorant response. Blizzard makes so much money from WoW, that the cost of an annual convention would probably cost less than their booth at E3. They should hire some people to put the convention together so they "don't waste time developing" and let these people take care of everything. A convention means more media attention, more community building, and provides the players with face to face discussions from the people they worship with their $15 a month. There are too many people that play WoW to just ignore the demand for a convention. Will they quit because of a lack of conventions? Of course not, but they and their friends may play a few extra months because of it.

    1. Re:Well, THAT's pretty stupid of them... by Very.Zen · · Score: 1

      I am not sure if that was flamebait, well actually, it wasnt.

  19. Cart before the horse by cbuskirk · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why would they host another con in October of this year? To announce a second expansion, before the first is even out? Blizzard spent quite a bit of money on Blizzcon 2005 and they are going to wait till they have something to sell us. My guess is that the second Blizzcon will be in April or May of next year and continue annually at that point. Once they have the first exp pack under their belt I'm sure they will be on track to release one just in time for Christmas annually.

  20. or Diablo 3 by clarkc3 · · Score: 1

    Diablo and Starcraft seem to be after thoughts at the moment sadly

  21. Oh, I'll be there... by generationxyu · · Score: 1

    All us mages are bringing the drinks and giving rides too and from!

    We won't actually be attending any of the events, cause we'd pull too much aggro if we did. And we can't actually talk to people, cause we'd be too busy getting two-shotted by priests, hunters, warlocks, shamans, rogues, druids, paladins, and other mages. We'll talk to the warriors though -- as long as they don't talk to us first.

    --
    I mod down pyramid schemes in sigs.