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Blizzard North is Dead - Bolty - 08-03-2005
For those of you who don't follow Diablo II much, patch 1.11 of Diablo II was recently put out there, and Blizzard announced the closing of their North division.
This really isn't all that surprising, since so much of North's workforce has left the company recently. Along with the cancellation of one of their two unannounced projects, there probably wasn't all that much going on there and Blizzard decided to consolidate.
This marks the final death of the original Condor team, what was left of it. Rumor is that the other project they were working on (and will continue to work on at Blizzard "South") is Diablo III.
-Bolty
Blizzard North is Dead - Thecla - 08-03-2005
Well, maybe not entirely dead ;)
Blizzard North is Dead - Guest - 08-03-2005
Waves good bye.
Blizzard North is Dead - Munkay - 08-03-2005
Bolty,Aug 3 2005, 01:08 AM Wrote:For those of you who don't follow Diablo II much, patch 1.11 of Diablo II was recently put out there, and Blizzard announced the closing of their North division.
This really isn't all that surprising, since so much of North's workforce has left the company recently. Along with the cancellation of one of their two unannounced projects, there probably wasn't all that much going on there and Blizzard decided to consolidate.
This marks the final death of the original Condor team, what was left of it. Rumor is that the other project they were working on (and will continue to work on at Blizzard "South") is Diablo III.
-Bolty
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It'll be sad to no longer see the Blizzard North symbol at the startup screen of new games.
But all in all, I think we'll get by (with a little help from flagship studios). ;)
Cheers,
Munk
Blizzard North is Dead - --Pete - 08-03-2005
Hi,
Yes, it is sad that Blizzard North no longer exist. But it is great that all that talent has spread to new companies, giving us the hope of many future games as brilliant (and aggravating) as the original Diabo ;)
--Pete
Blizzard North is Dead - whyBish - 08-04-2005
Bolty,Aug 3 2005, 07:08 PM Wrote:This marks the final death of the original Condor team, what was left of it. Rumor is that the other project they were working on (and will continue to work on at Blizzard "South") is Diablo III.
-Bolty
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Is that a rumor, or a 'rumor'? ;)
Blizzard North is Dead - Guest - 08-04-2005
It doent really matter, we can be sure of it because the name is a valuable item that Vivendi wouldnt waste no matter what.
Blizzard North is Dead - Bolty - 08-05-2005
Ghostiger,Aug 4 2005, 03:28 PM Wrote:It doent really matter, we can be sure of it because the name is a valuable item that Vivendi wouldnt waste no matter what.[right][snapback]85185[/snapback][/right]Yet, the gaming industry has many examples of valuable "franchises" that sit without sequels.
Star Control II, considered one of the best PC games ever made (just check any silly "top 100 games of all time" compilation), had a crappy sequel made a long time ago and has since sit on the shelf. Accolade still holds rights to the name and doesn't use it. This is a game so popular that over 10 years after its initial release it's been revamped to run on modern machines by its fans.
Wing Commander, a hugely popular franchise name, has had no sequels since, what, 1997? Origin owned the name, which was purchased by EA.
LucasArts holds a number of franchise names - Monkey Island series, Full Throttle (which they were developing a sequel for and then canned it), Sam and Max. An argument could be made that these are adventure game franchises, and that genre doesn't sell well, however.
Korea, Blizzard's largest customer base by far, screamed bloody murder when Blizzard announced Warcraft III instead of Starcraft II. We're still waiting on that.
I'm sure I could think of some more if I thought about it longer, but I'm just pointing some out. Likely some other Lurkers can recall some "lost" franchise names that make you wonder why there's no sequel out there.
And whyBish, I have no contacts with Blizzard folks anymore. They all left for other companies long ago. In fact I had little idea who actually worked at Blizzard North for the last year or so. Your guess regarding Diablo III is as good as mine.
-Bolty
Blizzard North is Dead - Doc - 08-05-2005
Bolty,Aug 5 2005, 06:18 PM Wrote:Monkey Island series
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You fight like a dairy farmer!
How appropriate. You fight like a cow!
I :wub: you Bolty, for reminding me of this.
Blizzard North is Dead - Quark - 08-06-2005
Bolty,Aug 5 2005, 07:18 PM Wrote:Wing Commander, a hugely popular franchise name, has had no sequels since, what, 1997? Origin owned the name, which was purchased by EA.
RIP Origin. I still need to play WC: Prophecy some day, but it won't be the same without Bluehair being the PC.
Quote:LucasArts holds a number of franchise names - Monkey Island series, Full Throttle (which they were developing a sequel for and then canned it), Sam and Max. An argument could be made that these are adventure game franchises, and that genre doesn't sell well, however.
LucasArts is my 2nd favorite company to hate now (behind EA). They release unfinished games that could be the best ever if given more time, and waste 4 months developing games I want - adventure games - before canning them. They were also working on a Sam and Max sequel recently.
Blizzard North is Dead - Roland - 08-06-2005
Quark,Aug 5 2005, 07:34 PM Wrote:RIP Origin. I still need to play WC: Prophecy some day, but it won't be the same without Bluehair being the PC.
LucasArts is my 2nd favorite company to hate now (behind EA). They release unfinished games that could be the best ever if given more time, and waste 4 months developing games I want - adventure games - before canning them. They were also working on a Sam and Max sequel recently.
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Whatever glory was once evident in these companies has long since departed.
Even Konami (do they still even exist?), Capcom, and a slew of other companies have paled over the years compared to their glory days. So sad to see it all wash away. It's why I keep EVERY system I have ever owned, and always will. You just can't beat the oldies.
Blizzard North is Dead - Doc - 08-06-2005
The last console I bought was a Super Nintendo.
I had the playstation emu for the mac before it got yanked. About the only PS game I liked was Castlevania, Symphony of the Night.
GAMES ARE CRAP NOW!
Blizzard North is Dead - Rinnhart - 08-06-2005
Roland,Aug 5 2005, 05:27 PM Wrote:Whatever glory was once evident in these companies has long since departed.
Even Konami (do they still even exist?), Capcom, and a slew of other companies have paled over the years compared to their glory days. So sad to see it all wash away. It's why I keep EVERY system I have ever owned, and always will. You just can't beat the oldies.
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Until they break down and die.
RIP to my N64, who passed this last week.
You will be missed. :(
Blizzard North is Dead - Rinnhart - 08-06-2005
Doc,Aug 5 2005, 05:33 PM Wrote:GAMES ARE CRAP NOW!
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Ninja Gaiden.
You will play on Very Hard, and you will like it.
Also: God of War.
Blizzard North is Dead - Guest - 08-06-2005
Good games yes, and sucessful in their day, but all rather pale compared to D2 in terms of sales and cutomer base(well not Star Craft, but that story isnt over).
Blizzard North is Dead - Doc - 08-06-2005
Rinnhart,Aug 6 2005, 06:07 AM Wrote:Ninja Gaiden.
You will play on Very Hard, and you will like it.
Also: God of War.
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Bah. What console those run on?
For good games, real games, the very best in games, www.spiderwebsoftware.com just can't be beat. Retro gaming at it's finest, with large free demos to get you hooked. Easy on the wallet, easy to download, and FUN to play. Graphics might not look like much, but the games have story and detail, and actual roleplaying! Action! Adventure!
Plus, I do a lot of beta testing for them. Jeff gets the bugs out!
Blizzard North is Dead - Roland - 08-06-2005
Rinnhart,Aug 6 2005, 06:03 AM Wrote:Until they break down and die.
RIP to my N64, who passed this last week.
You will be missed. :(
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E-Bay is your friend.
Blizzard North is Dead - Roland - 08-06-2005
Doc,Aug 6 2005, 08:27 AM Wrote:Bah. What console those run on?
For good games, real games, the very best in games, www.spiderwebsoftware.com just can't be beat. Retro gaming at it's finest, with large free demos to get you hooked. Easy on the wallet, easy to download, and FUN to play. Graphics might not look like much, but the games have story and detail, and actual roleplaying! Action! Adventure!
Plus, I do a lot of beta testing for them. Jeff gets the bugs out!
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Ah yes. I had forgotten about them.
Blizzard North is Dead - Rinnhart - 08-06-2005
Ninja Gaiden is XBox. God of War is Playstation.
Blizzard North is Dead - Doc - 08-06-2005
Rinnhart,Aug 6 2005, 03:49 PM Wrote:Ninja Gaiden is XBox. God of War is Playstation.
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XBox is right out of the question. I refuse to support M$.