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The Games Industry And ATVI - Page 17

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Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17254 Posts
June 29 2019 10:01 GMT
#321
Considering that I'm a contractor myself I can't really say anything bad at my current contract. I have 1 month notice in case of contract termination (both ways), 26 days/year of 100% paid leave, up to 182 days/year of sick leave (also being paid, but you need to register it with the doctor) and I'm not being treated differently from employees who are not contractors.
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
Zambrah
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
United States7297 Posts
June 29 2019 10:32 GMT
#322
What kind of contractor are you? I’d imagine you’d be type considered to be skilled and “valuable,” (quotation marks not a dig at you, just meaning I don’t want to imply that positions like QA testers aren’t valuable.)
Incremental change is the Democrat version of Trickle Down economics.
RvB
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
Netherlands6209 Posts
June 29 2019 12:32 GMT
#323
On June 29 2019 05:51 Neneu wrote:
Show nested quote +
On June 29 2019 05:32 Dangermousecatdog wrote:
On June 28 2019 07:57 Excalibur_Z wrote:
On June 28 2019 07:44 Dangermousecatdog wrote:
On June 28 2019 04:48 Excalibur_Z wrote:The QA manager had concerns about the open-office floor plan and stated in no uncertain terms that there were invisible "off limit" lines beyond the QA area where testers would immediately be terminated without discussion if they crossed. "Don't cross over into the Marketing corner, don't wander off into the development area past these restrooms. If you do, you will be immediately terminated, no questions asked."
Wow. American labour laws are so fucking weird.


Contract testers are hired under so-called "at will" employment which stipulates that they can leave or be terminated from their job for any or no reason. For the record, nobody was ever fired for going into an "off-limits" area, it was merely a scare tactic. What's more, nobody outside of QA was even aware of that rule, and found it puzzling why such a rule would even exist. It was probably intended to minimize leaks by intimidating QA into thinking that anyone outside the department would report them for straying from their invisible cage.

Ok, American work culture and their labour laws are so fucking weird.


And inefficent.

0 hour and other flexible contracts exist in many countries not just the US. In fact most countries in Europe have a divided labour market with well protected employees with long term contracts and employees on temporary / flex basis and little protection and benefits.
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17254 Posts
June 29 2019 17:10 GMT
#324
On June 29 2019 19:32 Zambrah wrote:
What kind of contractor are you? I’d imagine you’d be type considered to be skilled and “valuable,” (quotation marks not a dig at you, just meaning I don’t want to imply that positions like QA testers aren’t valuable.)


Back-end programmer.
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
JimmyJRaynor
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada16699 Posts
June 30 2019 00:03 GMT
#325
The October Humble Bundle for $12 included Overwatch. when Michael Pachter predicted Overwatch would go F2P by June I agreed. Welp , OW isn't going F2P yet. i'm kinda surprised. Add one negative notch on Pachter's reliability index.
Ray Kassar To David Crane : "you're no more important to Atari than the factory workers assembling the cartridges"
JimmyJRaynor
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada16699 Posts
June 30 2019 17:39 GMT
#326
Mike Morhaime made a speech recently...

here is part of that speech live.


here is some coverage of the speech
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-06-26-ex-blizzard-boss-mike-morhaime-on-why-the-studio-bins-50-percent-of-the-projects-it-starts
Ray Kassar To David Crane : "you're no more important to Atari than the factory workers assembling the cartridges"
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17254 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-07 13:45:26
July 07 2019 13:45 GMT
#327
An interesting review of some mobile games.

Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
Sermokala
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States13925 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-07 19:30:10
July 07 2019 19:28 GMT
#328
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.
A wise man will say that he knows nothing. We're gona party like its 2752 Hail Dark Brandon
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17254 Posts
July 07 2019 20:05 GMT
#329
On July 08 2019 04:28 Sermokala wrote:
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.


I've discovered that if you actually want to play a meaningful mobile game (without ads and with actual gameplay and depth) you have to pretty much go for the ones that you have to pay for up-front (Neuroshima Hex, Plague Inc., Element TD etc.)
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
Yurie
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
11822 Posts
July 07 2019 20:11 GMT
#330
On July 08 2019 05:05 Manit0u wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 08 2019 04:28 Sermokala wrote:
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.


I've discovered that if you actually want to play a meaningful mobile game (without ads and with actual gameplay and depth) you have to pretty much go for the ones that you have to pay for up-front (Neuroshima Hex, Plague Inc., Element TD etc.)


Should be pretty soon that you easily can stream the games and thus play PC or console games on the phone. Card games or anything multi platform tends to be at least somewhat decent.
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17254 Posts
July 08 2019 00:57 GMT
#331
On July 08 2019 05:11 Yurie wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 08 2019 05:05 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 04:28 Sermokala wrote:
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.


I've discovered that if you actually want to play a meaningful mobile game (without ads and with actual gameplay and depth) you have to pretty much go for the ones that you have to pay for up-front (Neuroshima Hex, Plague Inc., Element TD etc.)


Should be pretty soon that you easily can stream the games and thus play PC or console games on the phone. Card games or anything multi platform tends to be at least somewhat decent.


Why would you want to play anything past something really simplistic on your phone?

Anyway, Google Stadia (if that's what you meant by streaming games) is pretty much dead on arrival at the moment. People aren't really buying into it.
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
Simberto
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Germany11507 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-08 18:52:50
July 08 2019 18:51 GMT
#332
On July 08 2019 09:57 Manit0u wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 08 2019 05:11 Yurie wrote:
On July 08 2019 05:05 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 04:28 Sermokala wrote:
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.


I've discovered that if you actually want to play a meaningful mobile game (without ads and with actual gameplay and depth) you have to pretty much go for the ones that you have to pay for up-front (Neuroshima Hex, Plague Inc., Element TD etc.)


Should be pretty soon that you easily can stream the games and thus play PC or console games on the phone. Card games or anything multi platform tends to be at least somewhat decent.


Why would you want to play anything past something really simplistic on your phone?

Anyway, Google Stadia (if that's what you meant by streaming games) is pretty much dead on arrival at the moment. People aren't really buying into it.


I am struggling really hard trying to figure out who the target audience of Google Stadia is supposed to be.

Basically, we are looking for someone who is into pretty hardware demanding games (Otherwise their hardware could simply run them instead of streaming), who doesn't already own the necessary hardware but who does have an amazing internet connection, and who doesn't care about the increased lag times due to streaming instead of running locally. I really wonder who that person is.
Harris1st
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Germany6923 Posts
July 09 2019 08:29 GMT
#333
On July 09 2019 03:51 Simberto wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 08 2019 09:57 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 05:11 Yurie wrote:
On July 08 2019 05:05 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 04:28 Sermokala wrote:
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.


I've discovered that if you actually want to play a meaningful mobile game (without ads and with actual gameplay and depth) you have to pretty much go for the ones that you have to pay for up-front (Neuroshima Hex, Plague Inc., Element TD etc.)


Should be pretty soon that you easily can stream the games and thus play PC or console games on the phone. Card games or anything multi platform tends to be at least somewhat decent.


Why would you want to play anything past something really simplistic on your phone?

Anyway, Google Stadia (if that's what you meant by streaming games) is pretty much dead on arrival at the moment. People aren't really buying into it.


I am struggling really hard trying to figure out who the target audience of Google Stadia is supposed to be.

Basically, we are looking for someone who is into pretty hardware demanding games (Otherwise their hardware could simply run them instead of streaming), who doesn't already own the necessary hardware but who does have an amazing internet connection, and who doesn't care about the increased lag times due to streaming instead of running locally. I really wonder who that person is.


They need to include some exclusives to get of the ground. Like Epic launcher did
Go Serral! GG EZ for Ence. Flashbang dance FTW
Yurie
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
11822 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-09 11:29:22
July 09 2019 11:27 GMT
#334
On July 09 2019 03:51 Simberto wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 08 2019 09:57 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 05:11 Yurie wrote:
On July 08 2019 05:05 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 04:28 Sermokala wrote:
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.


I've discovered that if you actually want to play a meaningful mobile game (without ads and with actual gameplay and depth) you have to pretty much go for the ones that you have to pay for up-front (Neuroshima Hex, Plague Inc., Element TD etc.)


Should be pretty soon that you easily can stream the games and thus play PC or console games on the phone. Card games or anything multi platform tends to be at least somewhat decent.


Why would you want to play anything past something really simplistic on your phone?

Anyway, Google Stadia (if that's what you meant by streaming games) is pretty much dead on arrival at the moment. People aren't really buying into it.


I am struggling really hard trying to figure out who the target audience of Google Stadia is supposed to be.

Basically, we are looking for someone who is into pretty hardware demanding games (Otherwise their hardware could simply run them instead of streaming), who doesn't already own the necessary hardware but who does have an amazing internet connection, and who doesn't care about the increased lag times due to streaming instead of running locally. I really wonder who that person is.


I could honestly be persuaded to switch to an on-demand service instead of upgrading my hardware next time. Most of the stuff I play is single player (apart from Dota where 10ms extra won't matter to me). Would likely be cheaper and I don't really find it fun to build computers 20 years after the first one I built.

Especially games such as EUIV and Total War titles. The extra power really would be useful in those. Loading times and slow downs are among the biggest problems in many strategy games. Not referring to competitive 1vs1 games that build for that.
JimmyJRaynor
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada16699 Posts
July 09 2019 12:37 GMT
#335
I have no idea how OWL will be able to break even when every team plays half their games in their home city. Travel costs are going to be a killer. They are playing in small arenas under 5000 people with tickets less than $50.
Ray Kassar To David Crane : "you're no more important to Atari than the factory workers assembling the cartridges"
Harris1st
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
Germany6923 Posts
July 09 2019 12:37 GMT
#336
For me, my current rig (built in Dec 2018) is probably my last. After that it is either streaming or console (PS5 or Xbox2).

I have neither the time nor the dedication to groom my PC anymore to be honest.
Go Serral! GG EZ for Ence. Flashbang dance FTW
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17254 Posts
July 09 2019 15:51 GMT
#337
On July 09 2019 03:51 Simberto wrote:
Show nested quote +
On July 08 2019 09:57 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 05:11 Yurie wrote:
On July 08 2019 05:05 Manit0u wrote:
On July 08 2019 04:28 Sermokala wrote:
I feel like the definition of a mobile game is changing rapidly into either scammy shit and stuff like whats on the switch where its a legitimatle game platform or like pokemon GO and is bringing something real to the table.

It looks like EA is embracing the scam content the best it can.


I've discovered that if you actually want to play a meaningful mobile game (without ads and with actual gameplay and depth) you have to pretty much go for the ones that you have to pay for up-front (Neuroshima Hex, Plague Inc., Element TD etc.)


Should be pretty soon that you easily can stream the games and thus play PC or console games on the phone. Card games or anything multi platform tends to be at least somewhat decent.


Why would you want to play anything past something really simplistic on your phone?

Anyway, Google Stadia (if that's what you meant by streaming games) is pretty much dead on arrival at the moment. People aren't really buying into it.


I am struggling really hard trying to figure out who the target audience of Google Stadia is supposed to be.

Basically, we are looking for someone who is into pretty hardware demanding games (Otherwise their hardware could simply run them instead of streaming), who doesn't already own the necessary hardware but who does have an amazing internet connection, and who doesn't care about the increased lag times due to streaming instead of running locally. I really wonder who that person is.


And don't forget about their ridiculous pricing model. Where you'll have to pay full price for the game you don't own on top of monthly Stadia subscription.

In other news, G2A is trying to pay journalists to publish articles that would paint them in good light after indie developers raised hell on the Internet.

Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
JimmyJRaynor
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada16699 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-09 16:41:25
July 09 2019 16:15 GMT
#338
Source

Activision Blizzard: Bad PR, Good Long-Term Fundamentals

Summary

Basic corporate reorganization at Blizzard is being blown out of proportions. Activision Blizzard realizes that it needs to speed up its game development and IP creation while cutting unnecessary costs.

Upcoming pivot to mobile could unlock more revenue opportunities from existing IP.

Due to the large share price decline, the company is trading at a discount relative to its peers.
Intro

Activision Blizzard (ATVI) is one of the world's largest videogame companies. Its IP is among the most well-known and successful videogames ever created and include such hits as Call of Duty, Skylanders, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, StarCraft, and Candy Crush Saga. Despite achieving record revenues in 2018, the company's stock has lost nearly half its value from its highs. What exactly is going on? My belief is that much of the decline has to do with the continuous bad press the company has been receiving in the gaming community and perceived management issues. In particular, the perceived "strained" relationship between Activision and Blizzard.

The Blizzard Issue - A brief history

A little bit of history is needed here to understand the context. The company primarily operates as three segments, each focused on a specific gaming niche. These segments are Activision (focusing on the mainstream market with its annual release schedule), Blizzard (more geared toward "hardcore gamers"), and King Digital (focused on mobile). Blizzard and King Digital were acquired by Activision in 2006 and 2018 respectively.

Blizzard is one of the gaming industry's pioneers having ushered classic IPs such as Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo in 1990s which would go on to revolutionize the gaming industry. Basically, during its time, Blizzard was the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) (or at least Apple during the time of Jobs) of the gaming industry in the sense that the games it produced had exceptional polish.

Blizzard has cultivated its sterling reputation over the years by putting its games ahead of its deadlines. As the founders have been quick to point out, the company is run by and comprised of gamers who have dedicated themselves first and foremost to putting out great products before they worry about sales figures and deadlines. It's an enviable mantra, and not one that many developers have the luxury of following.

Source: The History of Blizzard - IGN

Blizzard has for years operated as if it were a separate company to Activision, despite the 2007 merger between the Bobby Kotick-run company and Vivendi's video game business. Blizzard, which is famous for its development mantra, "It'll be ready when it's ready," has a reputation for releasing superb, highly-polished video games that aren't beholden to an annualized release schedule. Activision, on the other hand, releases a new Call of Duty each year.

Source: New report reveals concern within Blizzard about Activision relationship

Hardcore gamers have fond memories of the old Blizzard and still cling to the hope that the "old Blizzard" is still somewhere down there despite Activision Blizzard being a merged company for more than a decade. Given the historical backdrop, it's easy to spin or overblow any news as some sort of "corporate overlord" vs. "the artistic true gamers". But the fact of the matter is Activision Blizzard is a business first and foremost and cutting costs to refocus strategy is something that every corporation does.
Cost-cutting and pivoting: Good for the long term, Bad PR in the short term

Despite its game releases being critical darlings and loved among the hardcore fan base, Blizzard has not released that many games lately and quite frankly has failed to fully maximize the value of its IP. Activision has fewer IP (the main one being the Call of Duty series) and yet is able to maximize its value for years on end. The inefficiencies in Blizzard in the past were being masked by the wildly successful World of Warcraft series but are no longer the case given stagnating monthly active users across its titles. Out of the three business segments (Activision, Blizzard, and King), Blizzard had the lowest operating margin at 30% for 2018 and this was taking into account the highly anticipated World of Warcraft expansion Battle for Azeroth.

Source: 2018 Investor Presentation (EVENTS & PRESENTATIONS | Activision Blizzard, Inc.)

Furthermore, the fabled "Blizzard Polish" is no longer able to cut in today's gaming environment. Unlike in the past, games that are released today are already in the cutting edge of graphics and the ability to download patches makes the pursuit of perfection no longer necessary. So given the need to shake things up at Blizzard, what would be the best way to go about it? How do you develop more games without spending more money? The answer is simple, redirect headcount from non-game-development departments in particular areas like publishing, esports, QA, and IT.

Source: May 2019 Investor Presentation (EVENTS & PRESENTATIONS | Activision Blizzard, Inc.)
Activision Blizzard's secret weapon in the mobile space


After its acquisition of King Digital in 2016, I thought I would be seeing a lot of Blizzard content on mobile. However, the success of Candy Crush at the time probably led the higher-ups to let King create IP for mobile on its own for the time being. Given the lack of new blockbuster IP though (Candy Crush still remains King's highest revenue generating IP), there seems to be renewed interest in pushing other Activision Blizzard IP into the mobile space. The first of which is Call of Duty Mobile and although this game is being developed by Tencent (OTCPK:TCEHY), you can be sure Activision Blizzard will be using the same monetization techniques it has learned from its King assets namely effectively using microtransactions and advertising. I suspect more mobile games from other Activision Blizzard properties may be coming soon. Given the size of the mobile games market, this is a tremendous opportunity for Activision Blizzard. A lot of the gaming press seems to be focused on the Blizzard side of the business due to the bias I've mentioned previously; however, King actually made up for slightly less than a third of the company's total 2018 revenue ($2 billion in revenue vs. Blizzard's $2.2 billion and Activision's $2.4 billion) and shows no sign of slowing down in 2019. So, despite all the protests from the hardcore gamers, this is a smart move for the company. At this point, the company should probably rename itself to Activision Blizzard King.

Source: Blizzcon - Diablo Immortal Q&A - is a late April Fool's joke?
Valuation and Conclusion


Synergy can be defined as the whole being worth more than a sum of its parts. For the longest time, Activision Blizzard has operated as three distinct entities, therefore, failing to maximize the synergies in its business. This is starting to change as the Activision side of the business is starting to impose financial discipline on the Blizzard side of the business and leverage more its company-wide experience and expertise (as evidenced by the Activision leveraging Blizzard's existing Overwatch League to build a Call of Duty League and King developing a Call of Duty game for mobile).

The company is currently undergoing some internal reorganization in order to align its strategy for the future. An overly passionate fan base is blowing mundane corporate news out of proportion. The bad news that is affecting the company is nothing out of the ordinary for a large corporation. In terms of valuation, the company is trading at a P/E of 20.3 which is lower than its peers in the gaming industry. In my view, the company should be trading closer to 25 P/E. Using the 2019 EPS of 2.16, this would imply a value of 54 and an upside of 16% from current prices.

Source: P/E comparison with peers

A premium for Activision Blizzard is well-deserved as the company has a loyal and dedicated fan base for all three operating segments (in particular Call of duty, Blizzard, and Candy Crush) ensuring it will have a base level of recurring revenue for years to come. For long-term investors, the shift in strategic direction at the company to focus on mobile and the implementation of cost-cutting measures should be viewed as a positive. The bad press is just temporary.


The "Bad Press" is only temporary if the new slate of games Blizzard is making now are as great as Overwatch, Starcraft2, Diablo3, and Hearthstone. People might be getting bored of these 4 games right now. However, in their prime these games were absolute smash hits with giant, avid, hyper-active communities.

Are Blizzard's development teams and processes as good as they were when these 4 games were made 5 to 12 years ago? I'm from Missouri on that one... they are going to have to SHOW ME... not tell me. To point an artistic point to it i'll refer to one of Mike Morhaime's favourite bands. Show Don't Tell.

"A premium for Activision Blizzard is well-deserved as the company has a loyal and dedicated fan base".
I disagree with this point and how it applies to Blizzard. I disagree on two points. #1 the fans are leaving. #2 the fans that are left are less loyal than 5 years ago. They have been hemorrhaging MAU's for over two years. Blizzard has done small things like RetCon-ing D.VA and changing the policies on cosmetics and loot boxes in OW to squeeze more cash out of players. These small details cause loyal fans like me who once viewed Blizzard as 10 out of 10 company and bought everything without question to rate them as an 8.75 out of 10 company. Rather than "insta-buy" its now "wait and see".

Blizzard has gone from being one of the greatest game makers in the 45 history of the industry ... to being just another very good company in today's industry. Most of the company's most loyal fans I converse with in person reluctantly agree with me on this statement. Many of the forum-goers on here who I do not converse with in person have a much dimmer view of the company. On here I'm one of the optimistic people. However you slice it.. fans are no where near as loyal to Blizzard as they were five years ago.
Ray Kassar To David Crane : "you're no more important to Atari than the factory workers assembling the cartridges"
Manit0u
Profile Blog Joined August 2004
Poland17254 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-09 19:33:59
July 09 2019 19:33 GMT
#339
The biggest problem with Blizzard right now is that they have absolutely nothing new to offer to their audiences. Sure, W3 reforged might carry them for a short while, but it's just a rehash of an old stuff. Diablo Immortal was a shot to the foot and it's going to backfire on them severely.

There is absolutely nothing going on for them at the moment. Instead of doing stuff that would actually get the hype train going and bring back a lot of the fan base (like announcing the StarCraft: Ghost) they just rehash old stuff (W3R and WoWC) and try to hit the Chinese mobile market (which is totally not their audience). It seems like all the creativity is gone from them and I don't think they can sustain like that for long.

And speaking of rehashes, D2 remaster would be an instant smash hit.
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.
joijop
Profile Joined June 2019
4 Posts
Last Edited: 2019-07-10 22:43:53
July 10 2019 18:37 GMT
#340
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