EPTNo matter what gaming forum that covers this game, you'll see outcry for change. Whether it be Bnet issues, balance issues...or anything, there are hundreds upon hundreds of threads of people upset with the experience they are having.
Personally, I'm not one of the "torch and pitchfork" people myself. I would however like to see a number of things added to our service that would normally seem like no-brainers to the majority of us.
The fact of the matter is: We live in a world of business. Everything that comes from SC2...or basically anything, is all about business. Obviously, Blizzard did very well with the release of SC2 numbers wise. They made their money back and then some. Making the game an obvious success in normal gaming standards.
The big issue with Starcraft 2 is that it has the same follies that all interactive media does. It's cost for upkeep vs. what they are still making off the game. Obviously Blizzard is still making some money off of Starcraft 2. As I believe I read, player numbers have gone down a fairly decent amount from release. That's understandable. Not all people are competitive or moderately invested into the E-Sports scene. They do still make money from larger tournaments. Each that occur, Blizzard gets a pretty nice cut from the company running the event. That's fine. It's their baby, they can let it be used in any way they see fit for broadcasting.
Video games have the sad fate of not having the ability of resale. Movies, for example, have a theater release. They have DVD release. They have HBO release. They have basic cable release. They have Blu-Ray, extended edition, directors cut, 3d versions, all that can be sold over and over again. Games get bought once. The money that it makes comes in and that's the end of the story.
Used games most obviously don't show any profit back to the original publisher or developer so they don't even have that means of an outlet.
Getting back on point after that rather long tangent, there is one way and only one way that you can really make a difference in the world of business. Hit them in their wallet.
In the history of Letters to the Editor, magazine articles, forum posts or any other feedback, what has really, really made serious change in anything that's happened?
For a more modern and semi-relevant perspective. Look at the TV show Family Guy. The show was cancelled due to idiotic program directors. The show went to cable and then the show came back to network. Did the show come back due to online petitions or spamming the Fox forums complaining about how it should be brought back. Or how stupid they are to have cancelled it in the first place?
No. The show came back because people strapped themselves to their couches every night at 11 (that was my time anyway) and they went and bought the DVDs like mad. They spent and they spent and they spent. Fox couldn't ignore it. The money was there. People were clamoring for it.
Conversely, what is going to make Blizzard change anything they are doing right now? They look at their spreadsheets and see people are still playing. They see stream viewer numbers. They see their 2.5 seconds of Blizzcon ticket sale time before sellout.
Opening dialogue and discussing issues is obviously a good and healthy thing to do. However, if you think complaining and spamming message boards bitching about something you don't like is going to make an impact; It won't. Blizzard has absolutely no reason to stop doing what they are already doing. They have you on Bnet, they have you attending MLGs, they have your open WoW accounts. They have all of it.
If you, the individual reading this right now actually want to really make some change in a world run by business, stop putting money in the pocket of someone you are not happy with. You want Starcraft to really be looked at? Don't log into Battlenet. Don't buy Blizzcon tickets. Suspend your WoW accounts and don't buy Diablo 3. Instead of seeing "There are currently 750,000-1,000,000 million people on Battle.net" Blizzard saw, "There are currently 50,000 people on Battle.net. They would take notice.
You keep giving them all of these things, nothing is going to change. There is just no incentive to until a $40 patch comes in the form of HotS or LotV.
I am not personally advocating such things. I'm not trying to pull a rally together to boycott Blizzard. I'm just some guy, you know? I have no bearing on anyone's opinion. I won't be buying Diablo 3, not because of reasons stated above but because of another questionable policy. That's what I can do.
You want to make some change, show the stuffy jerkwads in the suits at Activision/Blizzard that something is wrong, and you'll start seeing your issues addressed with the quickness. Or their potential cash flow will fall exceptionally fast.
Not proofread because I'm lazy and crap. Sorry if words are wrong or misspelled or punctuation sucks. I can't be bothered.
