Blizzard's "major announcement" is but mere weeks away

[[wcip]Angel]

While we wait...

StarCraft 2, World of StarCraft, Diablo III, revitalisation of Starcraft: Ghost, or something entirely new?

Obviously, WoSC is highly unlikely, as competing against oneself is hardly profitable.

My hopes and dreams lie with some sort of new incarnation of the StarCraft-franchise, specifically a remake of the original. "Why a remake?" you ask. The story, quite simply, moved me immensely. Sarah's arc from lieutenant in the Terran Dominion to self-proclaimed "Queen bitch of the universe" (as she so eloquently put it), was very engrossing. I also found the other characters very interesting.

So what would a remake of StarCraft look like? Why, imagination knows no bounds. :shuriken:

My suggestion. In short: Deus Ex, starring Sarah Kerrigan.
* The game follows the perspective and story arc of Sarah Kerrigan, from a highly trained ghost in the Terran Dominion, betraying her general and allying herself with The Brothers of Korhal, betrayed by Arcturus Mengsk, captured and transformed by the Zerg, risen anew as an agent of the Overmind, betrays her fellow cerebrates and other allies, eventually becoming the Queen of Blades responsible for the death of Praetor Fenix, General Edmund Duke and Admiral Dugalle.

* The genre would no be longer real-time strategy, but rather a blend of first/third person shooter, Stealth 'em up and RPG

* The game would be split into two main "chapters", one taking place during her time as a terran ghost and the other as an agent of the zerg. The two chapters would feature two distinctive personalities and combat styles.

* Gameplay and combat in the first chapter would see Sarah as human, sporting her rifle (while still being able to pick up other weaponry). Her skills would be the same as in the original game (invisibility and hacking/infiltrating)

In the second chapter, after Kerrigan's transformation, she would no longer rely on conventional weaponry. The ranged combat from chapter 1 would be replaced by a more melee-oriented combat style, using her "blades" to visciously dispatch foes.

* The RPG-aspect is realised throughout both chapters as Sarah Kerrigan essentially "levels up" as she improves her skills, achieves goals and kills enemies. In addition to acquiring new skills and improving stats, her ghost augmentation programme would allow her to scavenge for new parts (again: think Deus Ex) in terran installations.

* Optional sub-quests would net her improved armor, ammo and weaponry.

------

A man can dream, no? Whatever the result, as long as it's not another MMO (and as long the story is placed in the universe of StarCraft or Diablo), I'll be happy.:)


Any prognostications on what the "major announcement" will be?

[roguebanshee]

Angel' date='May 7 2007, 02:44 PM' post='129078']
Obviously, WoSC is highly unlikely, as competing against oneself is hardly profitable.

Actually, WoSC would not be a competitor to WoW any more than SWG is.

Had you said World of Diablo instead then there'd be a more well defined competition present, but a new genre can do a lot to draw in new customers, instead of merely siphoning off the old ones. Almost every new MMO has drawn in new customers and WoSC would do so as well, though likely not as many as WoW did.

[vor_lord]

Actually, WoSC would not be a competitor to WoW any more than SWG is.

I'd say that SWG is a direct competitor to WoW. There are few people that will play multiple subscription MMOGs at the same time. I think WoSC would definitely be a competitor to WoW, but worse, since Blizzard has a pretty large following. Lots of Diablo folks had never tried an MMO but went for WoW because it was Blizzard.

[oldmandennis]

I'd be shocked if it wasn't Starcraft 2. The announcement is taking place in Korea, which is crazy for SC. It's time for a RTS.

It's too soon for another MMO, though apparently they just started looking for MMO "next gen" developers. That would mean they are 3-5 years from their next MMO, at which point WoW will be getting a bit long in the tooth.

[Rhydderch Hael]

Ignoring the storyline behind Raynor is an unforgivable misdeed. You don't mess around with Jim.

Marshal of the Mar Sara colony; wrongfully imprisoned by the Confederacy; rescued and subsequently recruited into the Sons of Korhal; remaining forever the rebel when Mengsk becomes The Man; becoming what is likely the first human ever to freely associate himself with an alien race; and an all-around dusty, scruffy-looking white hat.

[[wcip]Angel]

Also... the potential love interest of Sarah.;)

Just talking about this game again is getting me all excited!:)

*can't wait*

[Ashock]

I'm hoping for D3, but I'm sure it's SC2.

OTOH, I'd be surprised if Blizz is developing another game that is not an MMO, so.... hmmm. Unless it's SC2 as a prelude to WoSC in the near future, like WC3 was a prelude to WOW.

[Munkay]

I'm with Ashock. It's going to be SC2.

I also doubt they are going to go anywhere except a MMO. The possibility exists that it will be a prelude to a WoSC, but it's unlikely. I don't see Blizzard releasing SC with new graphics and 3d. They are going to go somewhere different with the franchise. They already tried going one route with Ghost, so the 3rd/1st person deal is doubtful despite Angel's hopes (sorry WCIP!).

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind eating my words and a new 3d version of SC comes out - I love straight up RTS games. But I don't think it'll happen. Some incarnation of a MMO will be announced in May.

Cheers,

Munk

PS. I think Mythos will hold me over nicely until Diablo III comes out.

[roguebanshee]

I'd say that SWG is a direct competitor to WoW. There are few people that will play multiple subscription MMOGs at the same time. I think WoSC would definitely be a competitor to WoW, but worse, since Blizzard has a pretty large following. Lots of Diablo folks had never tried an MMO but went for WoW because it was Blizzard.

And a lot of people only started SWG because it is Star Wars, many of them would likely not have hopped on the WoW train. I know of people who would never touch SWG, EQ, DAoC or WoW due to their settings, but happily paid to play CoH simply because it wasn't Star Wars or elves & mages.

There are people who hunger for a WH40k MMO, but are completely uninterested in fantasy, superheroes or Star Wars. WoSC could easily draw in some of those, if they manage the setting right.

[Mithrandir]

I think people would flip out if SC2 was anything but an RTS. People have been waiting for another SC RTS for ages and I think that Blizzard recognizes this.

While WOW and WOSC may not be direct competitors for some people, the fact remains that a huge percentage of people only play one subscription-based game at a time and I think that Blizzard would be foolish to go down that route when so many are frothing at the mouth for a SC RTS.

[vor_lord]

And a lot of people only started SWG because it is Star Wars, many of them would likely not have hopped on the WoW train. I know of people who would never touch SWG, EQ, DAoC or WoW due to their settings, but happily paid to play CoH simply because it wasn't Star Wars or elves & mages.

There are people who hunger for a WH40k MMO, but are completely uninterested in fantasy, superheroes or Star Wars. WoSC could easily draw in some of those, if they manage the setting right.

Yes, there are market segments that don't overlap. But there is a segment that does overlap, and I think it is significant enough that Blizzard would be nuts to do another MMO while WoW is still strong.

[Kevin]

I put no stock in it but http://www.computerandvideogames.com/art...?id=163207

Yes, there are market segments that don't overlap. But there is a segment that does overlap, and I think it is significant enough that Blizzard would be nuts to do another MMO while WoW is still strong.

Just a theorycrafting here. What if they bundled the subscription. Instead of $15 a month for just one. You can pay $20 or $25 a month for both.

Since you can only play one or the other during any given time frame you can afford to drop rates because you can't load both game servers at once (well some folks with 2 machines could but not most of the playing populace).

[Klaus]

I put no stock in it but http://www.computerandvideogames.com/art...?id=163207
Just a theorycrafting here. What if they bundled the subscription. Instead of $15 a month for just one. You can pay $20 or $25 a month for both.

Since you can only play one or the other during any given time frame you can afford to drop rates because you can't load both game servers at once (well some folks with 2 machines could but not most of the playing populace).

I had wondered why they wouldn't do that, myself. It works especially well for them if they actually link the authentication between them, so a bundled account is only allowed to play one or the other at any given time. They get to keep their current subscriber base, add new people who are only interested in the new game, and extract more money from those that are interested in both.

[--Pete]

Hi,

It works especially well for them if they actually link the authentication between them, so a bundled account is only allowed to play one or the other at any given time.

I think that would be a deal breaker. Doing it that way, it isn't a bundled account, it is a single account. People who have multiple machines and multiple players in one household would be the biggest target audience (face it, *one* MMO is a full time occupation). If only one person can play at a time, then it isn't worth the few bucks saved. You'd do better paying for 6 months at a time on each account and get your savings that way.

As to what Blizzard is going to announce -- I'm almost willing to bet that all guesses are wrong;) And, of course, history has taught us that a Blizzard announcement does not assure that a product will ever emerge.

--Pete

[Chesspiece_face]

The fact that this is being announced in Korea pretty much guarantees that IF there is an announcement to the degree we expect, it will be Star Craft, and it will be an RTS. If Blizzard were to stand in front of the Korean audience and announce a Star Craft game and it not be an RTS not a one of them would make it out of the country alive.

I also think that if Blizzard were to build up this "Korean" announcement and it not be a Star Craft game Blizzard would get Boo'ed out of the country and never be allowed to return.

It will be a Star Craft RTS, or it will be nothing.

[Icebird]

Enticing as the MMO pot of gold might be, I can't see Blizzard announcing one in the immediate future. I will grant you that there may be an audience of people out there who would subscribe to a Starcraft MMO that to this point have been uninterested in the Warcraft setting. However I think that market would be dwarfed by the number of people who currently play WoW, enjoy it, and would try out a Starcraft MMO based on that experience.

Successful MMOs tend to be giant time-sinks, to the point where most people would choose one or another but not pay for two simultaneously. Two competing Blizzard MMOs would be a huge commitment of resources which might not necessarily expand the market enough to justify both. (Eg: two games with 5 million players instead of one game with 9 million players).

Of non-Warcraft Bizzard "brands", Starcraft is probably the one most overdue for some new content. I'm sure the Blizzard brains trust is also mulling over what form "Diablo III" will take.

Chris

[roguebanshee]

Two competing Blizzard MMOs would be a huge commitment of resources which might not necessarily expand the market enough to justify both. (Eg: two games with 5 million players instead of one game with 9 million players).

Most MMO developers have a breakpoint below 100k concurrent active subscribers where the game is still profitable. 100k-120k subscribers is the point where expansions usually start becomming profitable.

Adding 1 milion subscribers would make things very profitable, unless they can't manage their funds for some reason.

[oldmandennis]

Most MMO developers have a breakpoint below 100k concurrent active subscribers where the game is still profitable. 100k-120k subscribers is the point where expansions usually start becomming profitable.

Adding 1 milion subscribers would make things very profitable, unless they can't manage their funds for some reason.

I doubt blizzard works that way. MMO developers don't grow on trees, and every competent one they can get their hands on is already working on WoW (and some of the incompetent ones). You can't just duplicate the leadership, and the leadership that has any MMO experience is tied up.

[Merlinios]

It's probably been said elsewhere already, but perhaps it's not a game at all, but a re-vamp of Battle.net? Incorporation of WoW and some additional support for some of the older games (some of the servers are pretty bad right now) would be both a huge money sink and a great way to build already exceptional company loyalty.


And there's no way a Starcraft sequel could even compare to the original at this point. Yes, it will probably go platinum on the first DAY it's available, assuming supplies hold, but the combined forces of nostalgia, anticipation, and let's face it, the fact that Starcraft may be the finest piece of coding ever introduced to the gaming community, will make any successor pale in the face of the granddaddy of RTS.

At this point, Starcraft is almost holy. By not immediately attempting a sequel, Blizzard has conferred a status of untouchability onto it. Historically, how many games can compare to Starcraft, on any level? Success when first released? Quite a few. Nine-ish years down the road, it's still the biggest game in Korea, and has worldwide tournaments.

Of course, that's not to say it shouldn't be attempted, merely that it will be quite literally impossible to live up to the hype caused by an announcement of a sequel, particularly if it's in the RTS genre so that the inevitable direct comparison will follow.


Any new Diablo game should definitely go back in the direction of the first. While the second offered a host of improvements, it most certainly lost something. While both games had that sort of hunting feel to them, the first made the player the prey, not the predator, at least until ~level 30-40. The gothic atmosphere was there, along with creepy music, and of course, the ever-present darkness. Putting the game outside and adding demons that were tacky at best (Sand maggots?) was not the direction to go in, at least unless you can get something akin to the claw vipers blocking out the sun for most, if not all, of the game.


And there is a slim chance that Blizzard will abandon their three gold mines temporarily for something not in ANY of the three universes. This is extremely unlikely as it is both bad business practice and many ex-Blizzard developers have cited their lack of freedom in this very area as one of the reasons they left, but it's still a definite possibility.

--me

edit: I suck at math. Also, Chesspiece_Face beat me to the punch on the revamped Battle.net in another thread.

[Chesspiece_face]

Jumping threads and adding to my battle.net 2.0 thoughts. i'm almost positive that this will be announced sometime soon. what exactly it will entail I can't be entirely sure, and i won't say that it will be the only announcement. it may coincide with an announcement for starcraft 2. I also expect that blizzard will take this revamped battle.net and incorporate a lot more web based apps as well as mobile.

edit: also don't throw out the idea of a Starcraft MMO. people always fall back on the fact that blizzard doesn't want to bite into their WoW cash cow. but there are 3 fallacies to this reasoning. first being that gamers really only dedicate themselves to one game of each genre at a time. not meaning one genre like RTS, MMO, or action but genre as in Fantasy, Sci-fi, etc. it is quite possible that by opening up a new MMO blizzard could actually help themselves. they may lose subscribers from WoW but they will just be losing them to another game they make. And this is much better than losing subscribers to other companies games. by creating a couple different MMO's blizzard could essentially sidestep the biggest problem with the MMO market: HUGE turnover. NCsoft already works like this.

this first part feeds directly into #2 and the Battle.net 2.0 idea in that if all these games are built under one umbrella it is very easy for blizzard to create tiered subscription plans. where you can cover all your games at a reduced subscription.

the third reason the "too many MMO" argument doesn't fly is that if they do announce a new MMO this thing isn't going to be hitting the shelves for years. who knows what WoW will look like by then. WoW is doing fantastic, no arguments. but to assume that no other companies are going to come out with great games in the next few years would be suicide. there will be new games. MMO players will jump ship and move to them. blizzard needs to have more MMO plans down the line if it hopes to keep the subscribers coming back.