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EA Mythic Defends 'Warhammer Online' From 'World Of Warcraft' Designer's Criticism

Posted 10/16/08 5:00 pm EST by in blizzard, Mythic, PC, Warhammer, world of warcraft

Earlier today we published an interview with "World of Warcraft" game director Jeff Kaplan where he shared his thoughts on competing MMORPG "Warhammer Online."

We reached out to EA Mythic head and lead "Warhammer Online" designer Mark Jacobs to clarify about his company's beta policies. He responded after the story was published.

In doing so, Jacobs also wanted to respond to some of the comments about "Warhammer Online" that Kaplan had made. Here's his defense via a phone call to MTV Multiplayer this morning: Read More...

Blizzard: Economic Downturn Won't Hurt 'World of Warcraft'

Posted 10/16/08 12:30 pm EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, PC, Video, world of warcraft


Use less gas these days? Of course. Play less "WoW"? No way.

As you can see in the segment that aired on MTV2 last night, Rob Pardo, executive vice president of game design at Blizzard Entertainment, told our Tracey John at Blizzard headquarters last week that he doesn't think "World of Warcraft" -- which has more than two million paying subscribers in the U.S. -- is going to be hurt by the faltering U.S. economy.

(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K. -- But see below for Pardo's full quote.) Read More...

Allegedly Blocked From Beta, 'World Of Warcraft' Designer Plays 'Warhammer Online' Anyway [UPDATE]

Posted 10/16/08 9:00 am EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, mmo, PC, Warhammer, world of warcraft

[UPDATE 12:15pm: The story has been updated with comments from EA Mythic's Mark Jacobs.] When I spoke with EA Mythic head Mark Jacobs earlier this year about developing MMORPG "Warhammer Online," it was inevitable that we talked about the competition -- namely a little game called "World of Warcraft."

"They've been paying attention, and I know they're in our beta even though they don't like to tell us they're in our beta," Jacobs said of Blizzard staffers during the game's beta period in August.

So during BlizzCon this past weekend, I confronted "World of Warcraft" game director Jeff Kaplan about this. Had Blizzard employees really tried to sneak into the beta for "Warhammer Online"? Read More...

MTV's Video Tour Of Blizzard Entertainment's Well-Guarded Headquarters

Posted 10/15/08 6:00 pm EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, Diablo III, PC, starcraft, Video, warcraft, world of warcraft


Last week just before the start of Blizzard Entertainment's big fan convention, we got to stop by their offices for a video tour.

Watch as executive vice president of game design Rob Pardo walks us through all the amenities of Blizzard's swanky Irvine, California offices -- everything from the front gate down to the sand-laden volleyball courts.

(Videos not viewable by users logging in from Canada or the U.K.)

Related Posts:
MTV Multiplayer's BlizzCon 2008 Coverage

In Crafting 'Diablo 3' Class, Blizzard Risking Harry Potter Comparisons Instead Of 'World of Warcraft' Ones

Posted 10/13/08 6:01 pm EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, Diablo III, PC

Following the controversy surrounding "Diablo III"'s Witch Doctor, fans weren't sure what other classes to expect next.

During BlizzCon this past weekend, the company unveiled the new Wizard class, a magic caster whose powers are based on the forces of the universe and who would replace the Sorcerer/Sorceress from the previous games.

While at the event, I spoke with lead designer Jay Wilson who gave me some details on the new Wizard class, why the team chose to go in that direction, the other names they considered, and whether or not we'll see the Sorcerer in an expansion. Read More...

Bethesda Is Tired Of Spending Money Supporting Software Pirates

Posted 10/13/08 3:00 pm EST by in DRM, fallout 3, PC, Piracy


Piracy remains one of the biggest issues facing PC gaming these days.

Last week, "Fallout 3"product manager Pete Hines told me that some development studios now calculate that up to half of their customer support calls involve dealing with people who have pirated copies of the game.

That's bad.

Hines discussed the problem of piracy with MTV Multiplayer just days before, ironically, the Xbox 360 version of "Fallout 3" leaked. Piracy is still far more prevalent on the PC side, which has serious implications for studios like Bethesda Softworks, whose development bread-and-butter has been PCs.

"It is probably the most...[long pause]...probably the most difficult issue specifically facing PC gaming right now," said somberly-toned "Fallout 3"product manager Pete Hines to me after playing four hours of his new game a few weeks ago. "How are we gonna walk that line?"

With this kind of concern at Bethesda, you'd never guess what kind of copy-protection they're putting on "Fallout 3"...

Since our talk, circumstances have changed. "Fallout 3" has leaked. But the problems remain the same. The biggest obstacle, explained Hines, is figuring out who actually is a pirate. Read More...

'World Of Warcraft' Game Director Working On New MMO, Hints At Console Game

Posted 10/13/08 10:30 am EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, mmo, PC, Top Entries, world of warcraft

It's no secret that Blizzard is working on a "next-gen MMO," as evidenced by job listings on their website.

But during BlizzCon this past weekend, "World of Warcraft" game director Jeffrey Kaplan confirmed to MTV Multiplayer that he's "definitely involved" in the project.

"I think the great part about a new MMO from Blizzard is that it doesn't have to be 'WoW'," he said. "There are a lot of lessons we learned in making 'World of Warcraft,' and some of those you can take and do things better than you ever did before." Read More...

BlizzCon 2008: 'StarCraft' Fans React To Game Being Split Into A Trilogy

Posted 10/11/08 5:00 pm EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, PC, starcraft, Superfans

On the show floor at BlizzCon today, I caught up with a few "StarCraft" fans and asked them what they thought of yesterday's announcement that the game would be split up into a trilogy.

In my interview with lead producer Chris Sigaty, he explained that the games are based on each of the three races -- Terrans, Zerg and Protoss -- and will feature extensive storylines in the single-player campaign. Thus, the company decided to release it in three parts.

Here's what a few BlizzCon attendees, who all claimed to be big "StarCraft" fans, thought about Blizzard's decision: Read More...

Producer Breaks Down Key 'StarCraft II' Trilogy Details, Defends Decision For Split

Posted 10/11/08 11:30 am EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, PC, starcraft

Following yesterday's announcement at BlizzCon that "StarCraft II" will be split into a trilogy -- three different products released separately -- I spoke with lead producer Chris Sigaty about the decision and what we can expect.

Here are the basics:

  • Each product is a full-scale title that contains between 26-30 single-player missions per game.
  • The timing of the releases could be a year between each game -- or longer.
  • Though each game will make references to the others, it's not necessary to own all three to enjoy the single-player experience.
  • However, if you want particular units for the multiplayer portion, you'll need to buy the product that has those units.
  • Sigaty maintained the decision wasn't made to make more money or due to pressure from the Activision merger; the decision was made at the end of last year.

Read on for the full explanation and more details from Sigaty. Read More...

Blizzard: Rainbows Could Appear In 'StarCraft II,' Still Looking For New 'Diablo III' Art Director

Posted 10/11/08 1:16 am EST by in blizzard, BlizzCon 2008, Diablo III, PC, starcraft


During the first day of BlizzCon 2008, I got to chat with Blizzard's executive vice president of game design Rob Pardo. When I arrived for the interview, I couldn't help but notice he was donning a colorful T-shirt in lieu of the typical company garb.

"We decided to have a little fun at this BlizzCon, and we did a run of specialty shirts just for the ['Diablo III'] team," he explained of his baby blue tee with a design that looked inspired by "My Little Pony" and "Rainbow Brite."

"We came up with the cool rainbow domination logo of 'Diablo III,'" he continued, "and we just thought it'd be kind of funny to poke some fun at the big controversy that's going on. ... I think it's so important that you can have as much fun making games as ultimately your fans have playing them. We're just having fun with the game."

Pardo added, "I think we even talked about starting to put some rainbows in 'StarCraft II,' just because of the catch phrase that 'Diablo III' is the 'rainbow game.'"

But seriously, will there be in rainbows in "StarCraft II"? Read More...

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