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Blizzard top personnel quit!
- Thread starter Krug
- Start date
Dark Jezter
First Post
This probably belongs in the Software forum more than the books & movies forum, but oh well.
I was pretty surprised to hear that Bill Roper and the three other founding members of Blizzard left the company. In case you don't know, Vivendi Entertainment (the company that owns Blizzard, as well as other software companies like Sierra) wants to sell off its computer gaming division due to the fact that it's not as profitable as they'd like. This, of course, has led to numerous theories that Bill Roper and company resigned because they heard who was going to buy Blizzard and didn't like it. This is all just rumors and speculation, though.
(On a semi-related note, I hope that Electronic Arts dosen't buy Blizzard, or else every major patch that Blizzard normally offers for free will be part of an expansion pack instead. Just look at the way they've handled The Sims, that game has what? Five, six expansion packs?)
It does suck that those guys have left, especially since they played crucial roles in the development of both Diablo games.
But in the end, I don't think that you have a whole lot to worry about. People were saying that id Software was doomed (pun intended) after John Romero left to form his own game company, but that proved to be completely untrue... and John Romero is still trying to live down the complete and utter disaster that was Daikatana.
I believe that Blizzard will continue to publish high-quality, addictive games. Unless, of course, the majority of employees at Blizzard all decide to quit at once.
I was pretty surprised to hear that Bill Roper and the three other founding members of Blizzard left the company. In case you don't know, Vivendi Entertainment (the company that owns Blizzard, as well as other software companies like Sierra) wants to sell off its computer gaming division due to the fact that it's not as profitable as they'd like. This, of course, has led to numerous theories that Bill Roper and company resigned because they heard who was going to buy Blizzard and didn't like it. This is all just rumors and speculation, though.
(On a semi-related note, I hope that Electronic Arts dosen't buy Blizzard, or else every major patch that Blizzard normally offers for free will be part of an expansion pack instead. Just look at the way they've handled The Sims, that game has what? Five, six expansion packs?)
It does suck that those guys have left, especially since they played crucial roles in the development of both Diablo games.
But in the end, I don't think that you have a whole lot to worry about. People were saying that id Software was doomed (pun intended) after John Romero left to form his own game company, but that proved to be completely untrue... and John Romero is still trying to live down the complete and utter disaster that was Daikatana.
I believe that Blizzard will continue to publish high-quality, addictive games. Unless, of course, the majority of employees at Blizzard all decide to quit at once.
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Stagnation, that is what I see happening. Games are all the same anymore, becoming more and more like movies, spend X$ in making it, sell it the first week for X$x2, give bonuses to CEO and employee plugs 60 hours a week.
WizarDru
Adventurer
I suspect it has more to do with Blizzard's top employees being on the selling block like a piece of meat for years, now. This isn't the first time Blizzard has been sold, and they're probably getting pretty tired of it, at this point.
Possibly they got an offer from someone to fund a new game company, if they leave. Happens all the time in the industry, and two weeks from now I wouldn't be suprised if you suddenly heard of the name of their new development house.
As for id software, I don't think anyone thought the company was going to fail, just that they'd stop making good games....which, IMHO, they pretty much did. UT kicked Q3's butt, afaic, and while Doom 3 looks pretty, I suspect Half Life 2 will outshine it. I'd recommend the new "Masters of Doom" book, for an interesting look at id's history (and what a bunch of jerks they all were at different points).
Possibly they got an offer from someone to fund a new game company, if they leave. Happens all the time in the industry, and two weeks from now I wouldn't be suprised if you suddenly heard of the name of their new development house.
As for id software, I don't think anyone thought the company was going to fail, just that they'd stop making good games....which, IMHO, they pretty much did. UT kicked Q3's butt, afaic, and while Doom 3 looks pretty, I suspect Half Life 2 will outshine it. I'd recommend the new "Masters of Doom" book, for an interesting look at id's history (and what a bunch of jerks they all were at different points).
LuYangShih
First Post
This is disturbing. Blizzard has been the premiere gaming company up until this point. Perhaps that may now change. Very unfortunate.
Welverin
First Post
The four guys who left are all from Blizzard North (the studio that made the Diablo games and named Condor before being bought by Blizzard), which is only one of three studios that comprise Blizzard.
For more detailed information about who left and why check out this interview with Bill Roper and Gamespot's news bit on the story. In the interview he gives some reasons for their leaving.
For more detailed information about who left and why check out this interview with Bill Roper and Gamespot's news bit on the story. In the interview he gives some reasons for their leaving.
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