EPTOn October 09 2013 07:49 lowercase wrote:
You still can't deny that the international following for BW was next-to-nothing. SC2, and Twitch.tv, brought eSports into the mainstream, really over only the past three years. SC2 isn't doing as well in Korea as its predecessor (mainly because hardcore BW fans in Korea recognize that SC2 is, fundamentally, an inferior game), but it's certainly bigger world-wide than BW ever was.
The corollary to this is that it is still the Korean scene that is the driving force in competitive Starcraft, and if the Korean scene weakens then the entire sport weakens as a consequence. I also think western viewers aren't as loyal as Korean fans were in BW, and I get the feeling players are emigrating to new games. This could have been mitigated if SC2 had the depth and complexity of BW, but without that it lacks the lasting power of BW. Blizzard's emphasis on always-online DRM, noob-friendly features, and Battle Net 0.2 are also hindering SC2's prospects for growth.
Ultimately, I just wish Blizzard would re-make BW perfectly in a new engine. They have never addressed the major eSports issues of SC2, and it's unlikely they ever will.
Still, GSL rules, and I still subscribe to it after all these years.
You still can't deny that the international following for BW was next-to-nothing. SC2, and Twitch.tv, brought eSports into the mainstream, really over only the past three years. SC2 isn't doing as well in Korea as its predecessor (mainly because hardcore BW fans in Korea recognize that SC2 is, fundamentally, an inferior game), but it's certainly bigger world-wide than BW ever was.
The corollary to this is that it is still the Korean scene that is the driving force in competitive Starcraft, and if the Korean scene weakens then the entire sport weakens as a consequence. I also think western viewers aren't as loyal as Korean fans were in BW, and I get the feeling players are emigrating to new games. This could have been mitigated if SC2 had the depth and complexity of BW, but without that it lacks the lasting power of BW. Blizzard's emphasis on always-online DRM, noob-friendly features, and Battle Net 0.2 are also hindering SC2's prospects for growth.
Ultimately, I just wish Blizzard would re-make BW perfectly in a new engine. They have never addressed the major eSports issues of SC2, and it's unlikely they ever will.
Still, GSL rules, and I still subscribe to it after all these years.
If they had done just that and cut the chaff, SC2 would be amazing in my opinion.
The pro scene still has its own issues and complexity that still need to be figured out.
