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Blizzard to cease negotiations with KeSPA - Page 3

Forum Index > BW General
649 CommentsPost a Reply
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petered
Profile Joined February 2010
United States1817 Posts
April 25 2010 04:20 GMT
#41
From a business perspective, Kespa has absolutely no leverage. They have no legal claim or backing for their position. As an organization they are replaced far far far more easily than Blizzard is. They need Blizzard and Blizzard doesn't need them. I am actually shocked it took this long for Blizzard to do something about it. They may have actually timed this move to coincide with the release of SC2, which could speed the development of e-sports in areas outside of korea.
This, my friends, is the power of the Shikyo Memorial for QQ therapy thread. We make the world a better place, one chainsaw massacre prevention at a time.
Azarkon
Profile Joined January 2010
United States21060 Posts
April 25 2010 04:20 GMT
#42
On April 25 2010 13:11 skuj wrote:
what kind of governing body does chinese esports have? could this be helpful in uniting the asian esports scenes?


Not going to help. China is still a developing country isolated from the rest of the world, for the most part, due to the Great Firewall of the Communist Party. Their internet issues really prevent them from developing a very vibrant eSports scene without LAN support (and it looks like SC 2 might not have LAN support...)
Jyvblamo
Profile Blog Joined June 2006
Canada13788 Posts
April 25 2010 04:22 GMT
#43
Hopefully this and the imminent release of SC2 will kick out the last stilt holding up the rotten Kespa structure.
Robinsa
Profile Joined May 2009
Japan1333 Posts
April 25 2010 04:25 GMT
#44
The more I think of it I find its a good thing to keep kespa out of the picture as much as possible. What I dont like, and I might have misunderstood this, is that Blizzard want sole rights on creating tournaments? or whats the deal with denying kespa to do it?
4649!!
Judicator
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
United States7270 Posts
April 25 2010 04:33 GMT
#45
None of which matters if the money dries up. Warcraft 3 proved that competitive RTS can survive outside of Korea (namely China), so KESPA's going to fold.
Get it by your hands...
SoMuchBetter
Profile Blog Joined April 2003
Australia10606 Posts
April 25 2010 04:39 GMT
#46
kespa had their chances. good riddance
AUSSIESCUM
TeamLiquid eSTROgeneral #1 • RIP
konadora *
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
Singapore66364 Posts
April 25 2010 04:44 GMT
#47
I just hope they're talking about not negotiating with KeSPA regarding SC2 and not BW lol.
POGGERS
years
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
Costa Rica216 Posts
April 25 2010 04:45 GMT
#48
Bringing down BW to make a point would be pretty stupid.
"Member of Hyuk Hyuk Hyuk Cafe! He's the next Jaedong, baby!" Through high and low, bisu boy, through high and low.
cgrinker
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
United States3824 Posts
April 25 2010 04:47 GMT
#49
Mike Morihame doesn't know how to make the ESPORTS Dollars.
Jaester88
Profile Joined September 2009
United States143 Posts
April 25 2010 04:51 GMT
#50
There's been a lot of responses in this thread saying that Blizzard has nothing to lose, but I don't think it's as true as most of you believe.

Disregarding the issue of team support, which has already been mentioned already, I feel like KeSPA has at least some leverage in the Korean media, certainly more than Blizzard. I know this is pretty much true for a fact for e-sports media like fomos and dailyesports and such, but it may even extend to the more mainstream media as well. (Actually, let me word it this way. They probably don't have leverage at all in the mainstream media, but in the end, KeSPA is Korean while Blizzard is not.)

If so, they can and will spin this issue so that Blizzard is solely to blame for the negotiation failures, and Koreans are particularly easily influenced by the media, especially if the media spins it in a way that makes them feel like they are being persecuted by a foreign power. (Never do the Koreans stick together stronger than when they feel like they're being persecuted, or when they cheer for a national hero, as was sort of mentioned in the Kim Yun-a thread.)

This could potentially lead to a scenario where a large portion of Koreans just flat-out boycott Blizzard. This would affect not only the e-sports industry, but maybe the sales of SC2, and possibly even the WoW population of Korea as well (which, as I understand it, is not insignificant).

I know this is an unlikely scenario, and I'm probably over-exaggerating, but it's certainly not an implausible scenario, considering what I know about the Korean mentality.

Does KeSPA have more to lose than Blizzard if the worst is to happen? Absolutely. That's pretty much undeniable. KeSPA without SC:BW is nothing, and will crumble instantly. But does Blizzard have nothing to lose? No, at least I don't think so.
konadora *
Profile Blog Joined February 2009
Singapore66364 Posts
April 25 2010 04:52 GMT
#51
uh KeSPA does manage other leagues too you know :< (although undeniably BW is the biggest league they will ever handle)
POGGERS
Jaester88
Profile Joined September 2009
United States143 Posts
April 25 2010 04:54 GMT
#52
On April 25 2010 13:52 konadora wrote:
uh KeSPA does manage other leagues too you know :< (although undeniably BW is the biggest league they will ever handle)


Yes, but I'm pretty sure the revenue earned from those other leagues are not even close to enough to keep KeSPA afloat. I may be wrong, but in my mind, Korean e-sports basically is BW
FortuneSyn
Profile Blog Joined July 2008
1826 Posts
April 25 2010 04:58 GMT
#53
To : Kespa

GTFO
T.O.P. *
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Hong Kong4685 Posts
April 25 2010 04:58 GMT
#54
On April 25 2010 13:51 Jaester88 wrote:
There's been a lot of responses in this thread saying that Blizzard has nothing to lose, but I don't think it's as true as most of you believe.

Disregarding the issue of team support, which has already been mentioned already, I feel like KeSPA has at least some leverage in the Korean media, certainly more than Blizzard. I know this is pretty much true for a fact for e-sports media like fomos and dailyesports and such, but it may even extend to the more mainstream media as well. (Actually, let me word it this way. They probably don't have leverage at all in the mainstream media, but in the end, KeSPA is Korean while Blizzard is not.)

If so, they can and will spin this issue so that Blizzard is solely to blame for the negotiation failures, and Koreans are particularly easily influenced by the media, especially if the media spins it in a way that makes them feel like they are being persecuted by a foreign power. (Never do the Koreans stick together stronger than when they feel like they're being persecuted, or when they cheer for a national hero, as was sort of mentioned in the Kim Yun-a thread.)

This could potentially lead to a scenario where a large portion of Koreans just flat-out boycott Blizzard. This would affect not only the e-sports industry, but maybe the sales of SC2, and possibly even the WoW population of Korea as well (which, as I understand it, is not insignificant).

I know this is an unlikely scenario, and I'm probably over-exaggerating, but it's certainly not an implausible scenario, considering what I know about the Korean mentality.

Does KeSPA have more to lose than Blizzard if the worst is to happen? Absolutely. That's pretty much undeniable. KeSPA without SC:BW is nothing, and will crumble instantly. But does Blizzard have nothing to lose? No, at least I don't think so.

Jaester88 knows what he's talking about. Kespa has the power of the Korean government and Korean People. Blizzard can talk about how Kespa violates their intellectual property. But I guarantee you that the Korean courts will back Kespa. Blizzard needs to recognize that and work with Kespa to figure out a solution, even if it means giving up all the esports dollars in Korea, at least they can earn money from game sales. That's the cost of doing business in Asia.
Oracle comes in, Scvs go down, never a miscommunication.
Licmyobelisk
Profile Blog Joined August 2008
Philippines3682 Posts
April 25 2010 05:00 GMT
#55
I hope we can bring SC2 as one of our national sports in the Philippines if that's the case... (Man, that would be 20-80 basis but I'm hoping!)
I don't think I've ever wished my opponent good luck prior to a game. When I play, I play to win. I hope every opponent I ever have is cursed with fucking terrible luck. I hope they're stuck playing underneath a stepladder with a black cat in attendance a
years
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
Costa Rica216 Posts
April 25 2010 05:03 GMT
#56
Yeah, the biggest thing i see here is not that, culturally, kespa has leverage, but that since its a government backed organization it will kwanroll Blizzard.
"Member of Hyuk Hyuk Hyuk Cafe! He's the next Jaedong, baby!" Through high and low, bisu boy, through high and low.
dani_caliKorea
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
730 Posts
April 25 2010 05:04 GMT
#57
Just wondering how much money does Blizzard even make off of Esports in Korea?
Shizuru~
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
Malaysia1676 Posts
April 25 2010 05:06 GMT
#58
i'd say blizz has been extremely forgiving/linear towards the attitude of kespa for tolerating their bullshit for 3 years, lets not forget how kespa has the galls to collect broadcasting right fees from ogn and mbc for an intellectual property that they do not own, and the wonderful job they've done over the years "regulating" the e-sports scene in korea, good riddance blizz.

something need to happen to clean up this kespa mess, i think the koreans would agree on that as well, lets see what's kespa next move now, use its corporate connection to get SC2 an AO rating? or worst banned in korea? i doubt there's any other way out for them unless coming to terms with blizz.
iamho
Profile Joined June 2009
United States3347 Posts
April 25 2010 05:06 GMT
#59
people need to stop bashing on kespa. the people who sponsor starcraft leagues, the people who run starcraft teams, are the people who run kespa. without them broodwar would not have had a successful progaming scene. without kespa there is no starcraft 2 progaming in korea. i hope blizzard can stop trying to kill progaming with this and their other stupid plan for "pro league" replays to be released to the public
yoshi_yoshi
Profile Joined January 2010
United States440 Posts
April 25 2010 05:07 GMT
#60
It's a really good timing from Blizzard though. The next 2-4 years do not need Korea to drive the competitive community, like they have done the past 10 years.

Also, did Blizzard ever mention removing BW as a possibility? From my understanding, the breakdown of negotiations was just from the point of running SC2 leagues and tournaments.
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