EPTAim: 200 BarCraft for LOTV Launch
Q. Why?
A.
I lost interest in StarCraft, so I left.
There's a million of us just like me.
We never came back.
For SC2 to thrive, we are the low hanging fruit.
So I asked myself, what could bring me back. "Maybe, if Blizzard launches LOTV nearby" was my answer. Make us an offer we can't refuse. No fan, even those long gone, can turn down down a Blizzard invite to a LOTV launch party at their doorstep. Get us through the doors, and we might like what we see. If we like what we see, then we might stick around again.
Q. Why now?
A. Wait for Blizzard to announce an launch date, and it'll already be too late. By then, Blizzard's launch strategy will be set in stone, and their budgets and plans fixed. Blizzard will have no appetite to even entertain the idea.
Even with Blizzard on board, the Project can only cost "practically nothing" if Community and Industry are too. Getting on the same page, learning to work together, leveraging the manpower and volunteerism from entire Scene takes time. The less time we have, the more expensive the Project becomes. The earlier we get the ball rolling, the more likely it'll happen.
Q. Why Blizzard?
A. The Blizzard brand is a siren's song. "A Blizzard event in every city" can be a chorus that echos the world! Some Barcrafts for the LOTV launch will happen regardless, but "a BarCraft in every city" is a much taller order.
Unless we leverage the Blizzard brand.
Rebranding Barcrafts for LOTV into "Official LOTV Launch Party" will open all kind of doors. Recruiting organizers, booking venues, promoting the event all becomes infinitely easier when a potential organizer can say, "Blizzard wants to launch their next game in [This City], and I can bring that here."
That's how we get 200 Barcrafts.
Q. Why BarCraft?
A. All gaming companies want a successful launch, and they spend millions to make that happen. Imagine, if I Blizzard decides to make "a launch party in every city" on their own: hiring staff, booking venues, buying promote spots to fill seats. How much would that cost in one location? How much would that cost in 200? Even Blizzard doesn't have the budget for that.
BarCraft is a proven concept - it gets nerds out the door, socialize, spend money, and watch StarCraft. It's also incredibly cheap. Which is great, because no budget is the only budget this scene can afford right now. By spending manpower, abundant and freely available in this Community, all the costs associated with BarCraft becomes internalized.
Leveraging BarCraft, and one of Gaming's biggest launch ever can be Blizzard's, all for practically nothing.
Q. Why 200?
A. I actually thought it's too low. It happened before. While I'd prefer a LOTV launch party in every city, that is less tangible than just throwing up a number. Ultimately, 200 is as good as any.
It also have practical merits too. If we average 50 attendees per location, that's 10,000 people in attendance!
Q. Why "me"?
A. For the Project to work, it has to be cheap. For it to be cheap, it needs manpower. You obviously still cares about SC2, if you're still reading the TL blogs in '14. Time to step up and figure out what you can do. Make a difference.
