Blizzard: We Speak To Console Makers 'All The Time'

Although Blizzard hasn't announced any plans to create console games, the PC game company revealed in an interview with MTV Multiplayer that they talk to console makers "all the time."

In fact, during my conversation in Paris with Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams, he said that the company is more than friendly with console manufacturers:

"We have constant conversations with the console manufacturers. We speak to them all the time and talk about the different things that are coming down the pipe. I think all of them would like to see Blizzard games on their systems, but for us it's all about making the right game for the right platform, and thus far we haven't found the right one for our franchises."

I also asked Sams about how merging with a top console game maker might affect the platforms they work on. And while Vice President of Game Design Rob Pardo told Eurogamer that a port of "Diablo" was "theoretically possible," Sams didn't think ports of existing games were the way to go for Blizzard's foray onto those platforms.

On merging with Activision, one of the top console game makers:

Sams: For the development decision-making process, Blizzard is going to continue to control its destiny on what products we do and what platforms we're on. We'll certainly interact with and collaborate with Activision folks, but as it relates to whether or not they're going to say, "You need to work on a 360 version of this game." That's not something we're going to see happen.

"If we come up with a game concept... that makes sense on one of the consoles, whether it be 360 or PS3 or anything else, then we would do that."

All of us [at Blizzard] play console games, and are always intrigued about the idea of having our games on consoles. However, we have to make sure that the platform we're on is right for the game. We don't go onto something saying, "All right we're going to make an Xbox 360 game. What is it going to be?" It's actually the other way around. We say, "What game do we want to make? What is the gameplay experience? Okay, what platform makes the most sense for it to be on?" And that's what really drives it. If we come up with a game concept with one of the teams coming off one of the other games that makes sense on one of the consoles, whether it be 360 or PS3 or anything else, then we would do that.

On porting Blizzard games to consoles:

"In the earlier days of Blizzard, we did a number of ports onto console. While I think that they were good ports, they were ports."

Sams: Back in the earlier days of Blizzard, we did a number of ports onto console. We did a port of "Diablo" and a port of "Warcraft II" to the PlayStation, and also to the Saturn, and those were straight ports. While I think that they were good ports, they were ports; they really didn't take the gameplay experience to a different level. And for us, if we were going to go to one of the other platforms, we really want to make sure that the gameplay experience was really right for that platform and for the control device.

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