EPT- it has to be intriguing
- has to hold a captivating title
- be of relevance to the current starcraft 2 scene
- be of relevance to the current starcraft 2 metagame
- cannot use the word "tastosis" 3 times
Questions to Blizzard
Strelok (EU)I am honouring Streloks request to post this everywhere, and as it stands he brings some great points of discussion towards the table for Blizzard to answer. Although they have no legal obligation to answer these questions, if Blizzard would like to establish a further line of communication between the starcraft 2 world and their development team (basically free advertisement), they can use this as an opportunity by answering all of these questions in a political manner that might let us see a peak behind their masterplan. We usually see this with fancy patch notes and other news on the battlenet forums. However, not quite everyone, me included, ever visits the battlenet forums, and someone from the community ends up posting their news here on TL.
Without further ado, here are his questions! To discuss the thread further, click the link in the title ^
+ Show Spoiler +
1. Do you like how Starcraft develops? What do you plan to do to remain on level with such games as Dota, World of Tanks and LoL?
This can be seen as a marketing strategy question on Blizzards end. Simply put, how will you compete with other business money making models in the current industry to sustain returning customers and remain a top name market brand?
Valid question, although blizzard is probably working on something and reveal it at their own time in the near future at a time nearer completion.
2. How WCS develops SCII scene? What will you say if WCS will be having top-8 each region as koreans? How will it help to develop young talents all over the world? How in general the participation of korean players who live and practise in Korea and then come to Europe and NA for 1-2 days for playing WCS and taking money away to Korea "develops" European and NA scene of Starcraft II?
This is a bunch of questions under the same topic which is looking at the starcraft 2 scene from a global perspective. Well, from Blizzard's point of view on a financial standpoint, one of the top countries they sell units of the starcraft 2 franchise games to is South Korea. The question shouldn't be how are they going to develop Europe and NA scenes, it should be which scenes is Blizzard trying to develop?
The Korean market for progamers is pretty saturated right now, and unless you are in code a or proleague, you have almost no way as a b-team gamer to advance anywhere in the starcraft 2 scene. Since the KR server has the highest skill ceiling in the game and the most effective practice regiments in Korea, NA and EU are forced to raise their skill ceilings in order to compete on a national level with the most prestigious teams in the starcraft 2 scene. WCS relieves the oversaturation of skilled players in Korea and distributes a more balanced skill level at the top of each region: NA, EU, and KR. After that is established, WCS becomes really prestigious. The more people that watch WCS also creates a marketing buzz for Blizzard. They have only invested 1.6$ Million USD in prize money this year, not including all of the other expenses. From a billion dollar market cap, that is a sizeable FIRST YEAR starting investment. Depending on the success of the WCS Grand Finals, Blizzard may choose to raise or not raise the next year's investment in WCS. The more successful it is, the more incentive Blizzard has to invest their resources behind it.
3. In continuation to previous questions. Don't you fear that WCS will simply kill small(medium) online/lan events, because noone takes care of them, since WCS is always on a screens? And if it will be happening like that, how young potential stars can develop? There won't be small cups and big cups are taken by koreans in all 3 regions? Who will invest money in youngsters then?
WCS is not killing small/medium online/lan events, they are creating a benchmark. The WCS System is designed to be the LARGEST starcraft 2 tournament, and other tournaments such as dreamhack, mlg, redbull battlegrounds, and etc scale accordingly to it. Now in the future, if someone wants to make a tournament BIGGER then the LARGEST starcraft 2 tournament in the world, that is entirely possible as well.
4. Which are your nearest plans regarding battle.net upgrades? Why during all that time you still didn't make channels, like in SC:BW, where people from 1 region appear in a channel and can easily discuss stuff with friends? Don't you feel like every person feels "forever alone" in SC2? Why person can't race pick against every race, because it doesn't like, for example, mirrors?
I believe you can make channels (clan channels, tournament channels, custom channels), but I personally don't use the reference in which he is talking about (bnet 1.0).
Allowing a person to pick TvX, PvX, or ZvX is just like being able to veto 3 maps, it makes the ladder a more beneficiary practice tool, helpful to further increase the skill cap (creates more matchup specialists)
Very valid point, I would love to see this for a ladder option
5. What do you think about situation, in which terran as race almost disappeared from GML league in EU and NA servers? (47 from 200 in NA, 49 from 180 in Europe). Not so long ago you said that "Protosses simply lack of good players". So what happened to terrans then?
I have no idea
This can be seen as a marketing strategy question on Blizzards end. Simply put, how will you compete with other business money making models in the current industry to sustain returning customers and remain a top name market brand?
Valid question, although blizzard is probably working on something and reveal it at their own time in the near future at a time nearer completion.
2. How WCS develops SCII scene? What will you say if WCS will be having top-8 each region as koreans? How will it help to develop young talents all over the world? How in general the participation of korean players who live and practise in Korea and then come to Europe and NA for 1-2 days for playing WCS and taking money away to Korea "develops" European and NA scene of Starcraft II?
This is a bunch of questions under the same topic which is looking at the starcraft 2 scene from a global perspective. Well, from Blizzard's point of view on a financial standpoint, one of the top countries they sell units of the starcraft 2 franchise games to is South Korea. The question shouldn't be how are they going to develop Europe and NA scenes, it should be which scenes is Blizzard trying to develop?
The Korean market for progamers is pretty saturated right now, and unless you are in code a or proleague, you have almost no way as a b-team gamer to advance anywhere in the starcraft 2 scene. Since the KR server has the highest skill ceiling in the game and the most effective practice regiments in Korea, NA and EU are forced to raise their skill ceilings in order to compete on a national level with the most prestigious teams in the starcraft 2 scene. WCS relieves the oversaturation of skilled players in Korea and distributes a more balanced skill level at the top of each region: NA, EU, and KR. After that is established, WCS becomes really prestigious. The more people that watch WCS also creates a marketing buzz for Blizzard. They have only invested 1.6$ Million USD in prize money this year, not including all of the other expenses. From a billion dollar market cap, that is a sizeable FIRST YEAR starting investment. Depending on the success of the WCS Grand Finals, Blizzard may choose to raise or not raise the next year's investment in WCS. The more successful it is, the more incentive Blizzard has to invest their resources behind it.
3. In continuation to previous questions. Don't you fear that WCS will simply kill small(medium) online/lan events, because noone takes care of them, since WCS is always on a screens? And if it will be happening like that, how young potential stars can develop? There won't be small cups and big cups are taken by koreans in all 3 regions? Who will invest money in youngsters then?
WCS is not killing small/medium online/lan events, they are creating a benchmark. The WCS System is designed to be the LARGEST starcraft 2 tournament, and other tournaments such as dreamhack, mlg, redbull battlegrounds, and etc scale accordingly to it. Now in the future, if someone wants to make a tournament BIGGER then the LARGEST starcraft 2 tournament in the world, that is entirely possible as well.
4. Which are your nearest plans regarding battle.net upgrades? Why during all that time you still didn't make channels, like in SC:BW, where people from 1 region appear in a channel and can easily discuss stuff with friends? Don't you feel like every person feels "forever alone" in SC2? Why person can't race pick against every race, because it doesn't like, for example, mirrors?
I believe you can make channels (clan channels, tournament channels, custom channels), but I personally don't use the reference in which he is talking about (bnet 1.0).
Allowing a person to pick TvX, PvX, or ZvX is just like being able to veto 3 maps, it makes the ladder a more beneficiary practice tool, helpful to further increase the skill cap (creates more matchup specialists)
Very valid point, I would love to see this for a ladder option
5. What do you think about situation, in which terran as race almost disappeared from GML league in EU and NA servers? (47 from 200 in NA, 49 from 180 in Europe). Not so long ago you said that "Protosses simply lack of good players". So what happened to terrans then?
I have no idea
State joins ROOT Gaming
State (NA)With a recent sponsor pick up of Tt eSports, and the recent retiring of
theognis, ROOT Gaming loses no time in filling the void with the acquisition of Protoss NA State in becoming the #1 North American starcraft 2 team.Auction OSL Finals Preview (KR)
nerd chills *10, but I can't stay up till 4am, I need my beauty rest! can't wait to watch in the morning
