Blizzard Annouces BlizzCon 2007

moore.dustin writes "Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced plans for its second BlizzCon(TM) gaming convention. BlizzCon is a celebration of the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo franchises and the players who have helped make them so popular around the world. This year's event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California on August 3 and 4, and will feature various activities for attendees to take part in. Already approved events include discussion panels with Blizzard developers, artist and developer signings, competitive and casual tournaments for players to showcase their talents, a silent auction, and live orchestral performances of music from Blizzard games." Somebody save me a Murky.

Comments

Fabu! I'll just get my Gnome Mage hat on!

[WillAffleckUW]

Seriously, I hope it's not just an excuse for cosplay.

But if they brought back Diablo for the Wii, they would easily tap into that market!

Re:Fabu! I'll just get my Gnome Mage hat on!

[Anonymous Coward]

If you'd seen some of the hotties in costumes at the last BlizzCon, you wouldn't be saying that.

Re:Fabu! I'll just get my Gnome Mage hat on!

[WillAffleckUW]

Why, are they as good as the ones at Norwescon?

Disappointed

[zyl0x]

I'm a little disappointed in Blizzard these days. They've gone from the king of adventure/RPG and strategy gaming, to just another MMO developer. I have absolutely no plans to go to the Con, but I desperately hope they'll take this opportunity to announce something other than the next expansion for WoW.

Diablo 3, anyone?

Re:Disappointed

[danbert8]

How about Starcraft II? I've been waiting for like 10 years now!

Re:Disappointed

[Anonymous Coward]

They're really not "just another MMO developer". They're the most successful US MMO developer ever...probably rivaled only by the developer of Lineage.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love another Diablo or another Starcraft. Bliz has it in them, they just have to stop stuffing their pockets with millions of $15 a month subsriptions and make some new games. I don't blame them, though. Successful MMOs rake in the cash and Blizz is sitting pretty right now.

Re:Disappointed

[zyl0x]

Either or, really. I'm getting sick of all this WoW stuff. They might as well rename the company World of Warcraft Expansions inc.

Re:Disappointed

[Anonymous Coward]

There's times when I cry about WoW then I realize its exactly the game I hoped for playing all the other MMOs that came before it.

They're a little slow with reacting to customer demands but frankly I don't think any company could achieve the level of service that they have. They react in a reasonable period of time to MOST issues brought up by the community and, sure, the expansion was a big content push but they've consistently pushed content to the game that gives it legs. I can easily justify my subscription fee.

Re:Disappointed

[d_i_r_t_y]

Yes the broad sweeping changes and massive class/role homogenisation introduced by the TBC expansion have almost killed my enjoyment of the game. First raising the level cap and making all my hard-earned raid gear obselete, and then homogenising DPS to such an extent that the primary healing class (priest) is now also one of the top DPS classes, and the former top DPS classes (mage and rogue) are struggling to contribute anything.

Re:Disappointed

[Anonymous Coward]

They're really not "just another MMO developer". They're the most successful US MMO developer ever...probably rivaled only by the developer of Lineage.

That's like being the world's tallest midget.

Re:Disappointed

[Nasarius]

Ever since Warcraft II, Blizzard seems to have a tradition of exactly one expansion per game. Hopefully they'll stick to it. There have been many good indications that they're working on Diablo 3, at least.

Re:Disappointed

[Nasarius]

There's times when I cry about WoW then I realize its exactly the game I hoped for playing all the other MMOs that came before it.

Really? Sure, WoW is the culmination of the hack-and-slash MMORPGs in the vein of EverQuest. It fills one niche very well. But are your hopes really that low? There's still no worthy successor for fans of Ultima Online circa 1997-2000. Horizons should have been, but apparently management infighting doomed it to irrelevance. Ten years after UO, and I can't name a single MMOG that even attempts something as simple as player housing. I play Guild Wars now and then, since I don't have to pay a monthly fee, and the holiday events are spectacular. But otherwise there's absolutely nothing now and, as far as I know, nothing in development that's remotely exciting to me. I hope I'm wrong.

Re:Disappointed

[SatanicPuppy]

Keep dreaming. The amount of money they make on WoW will keep them making expansions for a loooong time...They'd be insane not to.

Still, Blizz has been known to run more than one in house development team. I wouldn't be surprised if they dedicated a second team to working on RTS and Diablo-esque titles.

Re:Disappointed

[Anonymous Coward]

At 8.5 million subscribers X $15/month per subscriber, that's a huge fucking midget.

Re:Disappointed

[kyph]

I actually have friends who are in the "know" over at blizzard. they say diablo 3 is currently under development. which is BS cause i'm still waiting for SC 2, as well

Re:Disappointed

[Kalriath]

I assume *something* is in the running *somewhere* to compete with Hellgate coming out some time this year or next.

But I assure you, they have planned at LEAST three more WoW expansions. And Starcraft II is "indefinitely postponed" (IGN translated that as cancelled. I believe IGN).

Re:Disappointed

[Kalriath]

Bad maths there. The majority of their subscribers are from the China region. In China, their subscribers do not pay a monthly fee, they pay hourly at a rate much cheaper than in the US. Also, people who pay for larger blocks at a time (i.e. 6 months subscription prepaid) pay less (as little as $12 per month) than those paying monthly (at $15 per month). Also bear in mind that at any given time, a bunch of the players could be on a free subscription (Recruit a Friend for example) which reduces revenue.

Re:Disappointed

[Awod]

Have owned a house in tibia for 3-4 years.. hell tibia may have had houses before UO..

Re:Disappointed

[Nasarius]

OK, I did find an interview saying they plan on yearly expansions. Sigh.

I've been reading diabloii.net off and on since Diablo 2 was released, even though I don't play it anymore. Lately, they've had some news about Hellgate, Mythos (whoo, I got into the alpha), and Diablo 3 rumors. The latest one seems to clinch it:

Do you think the ramifications of this book impact in the storyline of Diablo 3 the game?

Knaak: This is a pure collaboration between myself and Chris/Blizzard. All that is written is passed by him and the others there. This will be canon and has adjusted earlier info. The ramifications here will be used for any future project ... and I ain't writing for a dead game. :)

Re:Disappointed

[sortius_nod]

To be honest, I just cancelled my WoW account due to the expansion being totally shit. It's ruined the game IMO, there's no reason to keep playing a game that's totally dead.

Re:Disappointed

[C0rinthian]

their 8.5 million users doesn't include trial accounts, or accounts that are lapsed. I'm not sure how they calculate overseas numbers, but internet cafes usually pay for blocks of accounts to cover their concurrent users. I'm sure the number generated is at least ballpark accurate.

Re:Disappointed

[Kalriath]

Aye, but the 8.5 million includes overseas (Europe, China) accounts. Remember, in China they pay by the hour (a few cents per hour) not by the month (and are restricted to four hours per 24 hour period of play time). It also includes the people who aren't paying because they recruited a friend (this gets you a free month per friend - heh, this may even be how gold sellers have so many accounts). It may (not sure here) also include the accounts which are free due to being employees, family, or friends of employees of Blizzard.

attire???

[Churla]

I put on my wizard hat and robe...

Actually, I can't imagine going to one of those things in costume, and since the reasons I ever do go to big shows like that would be to learn about new products and they really don't have anything other than "yeah, we're gonna work on WoW more... maybe something starcrafty will happen eventually..."

Oh god... it begins.

[Channard]

Now you won't need to travel halfway across the country to pay some girl WOW gold to have sex with them. Yes, I hope to god that story's a hoax but it seems all too plausible. I guess the real question is, which is more mentally scarring - a WOW conference or a furry conference?

Re:Oh god... it begins.

[SighKoPath]

One word: Taurens.

Re:Oh god... it begins.

[Bluetick]

It's not like this is the first Blizzcon, the last one was in 2005.

BYOC - (Clothespin)

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

BYOC = Bring Your Own Clothespin (WOW'ers don't generally smell very good.)

1) Price - $100 - holy crap!

2) I hope they have a better answer than this in 2007:
"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."

3) "Artist and developer signings..." What could they possibly sign?

Wake me up if they ever publish another RTS; I'll lay the $25 to play it once it hits the discount bin.

Information...?

[lucid dre4m]

Blizzard is notorious for keeping its fans in the dark when it comes to upcoming releases as far as titles and dates are concerned. WoW has been such a success for them, I hope it hasn't deterred them from working on another action RPG or strategy title. You would think that they have enough money by now to start dedicating work to multiple games simultaneously. I'm willing to bet that their hardcore fanbase is looking forward to the next Starcraft or Diablo game rather than another WoW expansion.

one phrase, from the press release

[way2trivial]

"open to gamers, FOUR and older"

I shudder at what some kids might see....

hmm

[rubberbandball]

i'd love to see anything about Diablo 3. since i gave up WoW last year, i've got a PC that i built near specifically for the game (peripherals and all) just sitting there running firefox, iTunes and azureus. then again, if devs would start pushing out games for ps3 and wii, i could care less about blizzard. oblivion (ps3) is ruling me these days, so i've got time to wait.

Diablo 3....

[Jugalator]

I would personally be far more eager to see Diablo 3, if the Blizzard North devs hadn't formed a new company and was gearing up for the Hellgate London beta test, with a planned summer 2007 release. ;-) Sure, not the same setting, but I only see that as refreshing.

Re:Diablo 3....

[WillAffleckUW]

You and me both, I'd love to buy Diablo 3 for the Wii, or at least for the Mac or Linux/BSD.

Who Cares?

[IceDiver]

I have stopped buying (and playing) all Blizzard games since they started using lawsuits to illegitimately intimidate other software projects (such as bnetd) into shutting down.

Re:Who Cares?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah because in practice, bnetd would not have been used for circumventing copyright protection. Really.

Starcraft 2 Announcement?

[physicsnick]

The first thing I thought when I saw this was Starcraft 2. They've been dropping hints about it for a while now.

Anyone else think that part of the motivation behind this convention is to announce it?

Re:Starcraft 2 Announcement?

[MBGMorden]

Either that or . . . . Universe of Starcraft :). MMORPG's bring in more cash than RTS games. Blizz might be developing the Starcraft equivalent for when WoW starts to wind down.

Only thing would be that it would be a little difficult to work in some aspects.

Terrans:
Marine
Medic
Ghost
Firebat

Protoss:
Zealot
Templar
Dark Templar
(I'm guessing Archons would be Templar forms or abilities)

Zerg:
Zergling
Hydralisk
Infested Terran

Working in Xel'Naga would be cool too.

Working in space combat at all would be difficult. Still, I can just imagine what PvP would be like if random roles were assigned. 90% of players go in an are given ground combat. 5% are given land vehicles and 5% fly air combat vehicles. Swooping around Warsong in a Wraith just sounds like it'd be fun :).

Of course I'd be happy with a new RTS Starcraft too.

Re:Starcraft 2 Announcement?

[king-manic]

A SC MMO would compete almost directly with WOW. they are wiser to make a SC RTS and continue their fine tradition of addicting and occasionally killing asian people (I'm chinese, I can poke fun at us.. and am a war 3 addict... *shiver*.. must play).

Re:Starcraft 2 Announcement?

[MBGMorden]

It wouldn't necessarily complete. WoW was released 3 or 4 years after it was announced. By the time a Starcraft MMORPG was actually released, WoW will likely be winding down. Now I doubt they'll literally flick the switch off to the servers ANY time soon (my guess is you've got 10 years or more left there), but eventually the majority of people are gonna move on to something else. I'm sure Blizzard wants them to move onto another Blizzard product if possible :).

Don't forget Starcraft Ghost

[sjorgnsn]

At the last Blizzcon, a full HALF of the show floor was dedicated to playable Starcraft: Ghost demoing. I am a huge WoW guy, and still play, but, being a Halo fan of sorts, Ghost had attracted my attention a bit.

Needless to say, as much as I like WoW, and attended Blizzcon because of it, I played their Ghost multiplayer maps 85% of the time I was there. The graphics were decent (think Halo 2ish), the gameplay balance was adequate, and it was downright FUN. It was tried and true Blizzard formula. Take someone else's product (Command and Conquer, Everquest), improve on it in every aspect, give it an amazing amount of polish, and slap a Blizzard logo on it.

Sadly, Ghost was cancelled because (imo) it would've been hard or impossible to release it before all the new next-gen hardware came out.

All that being said, I really really really hope they move what they had to next-gen. It could be amazing.

What I want to know...

[mindwhip]

...is when is BlizzConEurope?

Hang on

[smegged]

"Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series" Since when is Starcraft a series? I thought that you needed multiple games for that to count.

Re:Hang on

[FirienFirien]

Starcraft Ghost - while it wasn't released, it's still part of the series. It doesn't seem likely that they'll drop the entire thing either - there's a lot of work got into that, and when their next project comes out - whatever it is - it'll probably be able to use that codebase, that art, etc.

From a business point of view, it was sensible for Blizzard to shelve SCG. WoW is huge - put a shitload of effort into it. Making a single fix affects millions of users. Don't divide that effort among multiple games, and don't redivide your fanbase. I think it's a damn pity, because I've played many bliz games and they've all been fantastic. But until WoW begins to wane for the majority, it's going to remain Blizzard's champion and jewel, and everything else can go on hiatus.

What we do get is that the developers of the other franchises - for example the Blizzard North team - are going off and doing their own thing. There you get the Blizzard skillset (many of the original developers) without the blocker of already having a humongous cash cow. While they can't touch the Blizzard franchises, Hellgate:London and Mythos should be awesome games, because they're being written by the same people who created the other awesome games in the first place.

Blizcon Oceanic 2008

[Zipster]

Blizard are also planning on running a Blizcon Oceanic. It will be still held in California, however the opening times are GMT+10, and the doors get shut to clean the convention hall midway through.

Re:Blizcon Oceanic 2008

[fractoid]

At least you won't have to skip work to compete in the fishing contest... :P

It had an expansion, that almost counts!

[sjorgnsn]

Don't forget Starcraft Brood Wars.

My Predictions

[Volzeron]

2008 - Starcraft 2 to introduce new races and storyline.
2010 - Starcraft MMORPG to rake in the next several billion dollars.

Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with that.

Wow! Spread the love around the nation!

[Impy the Impiuos Imp]

> This year's event will take place at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California

And in a related story, this year's show tunes musical convention will be...in New York, New York.