A shitstorm is rolling over Blizzard right now due to Diablo Immortals

[Free]

It's not just Blizzard who are tripping themselves up this way.

Not into naming names?

 

[Ashiri]

Not into naming names?

CCP

 

[Kukulcan]

I understand the fans' disappointment, but for them to act so angry just proves how bored and well-fed they are, with no problems in life. I just couldn't ever stand up in a big convention hall, as a 40 something year old grown man, and ask some snarky question to a guy who only wants to make fun things for you. Maybe because I have a sense of shame.

Also, yes mobile games are the devil. I worked on a few, years ago for Disney. We'd design a good, cute, little fun mobile game, fix the bugs, release it. Then we'd figure out ways to keep people addicted, so they'd come back and keep spending money. We called them "whales" because they'd spend thousands of dollars just to jump through artificial gates we placed, just to impede their progress. It took awhile, but I eventually realized that working as a UI designer there, I was also a drug dealer.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

I understand the fans' disappointment, but for them to act so angry just proves how bored and well-fed they are, with no problems in life.

Whoever uses whataboutisms just like you did above cannot be taken serious, because it proves only one thing: the disappointment of the fans, nothing more. The rest is just wild speculation being used as a thought-terminating cliché.

 

[Kukulcan]

Whoever uses whataboutisms just like you did above cannot be taken serious, because it proves only one thing: the disappointment of the fans, nothing more. The rest is just wild speculation being used as a thought-terminating cliché.

I agree, you're right that it's wild speculation. But these grown-men are just so pathetic, wallowing in their disappointment, they deserve to be ridiculed. But I understand, everyone has a different tolerance for embarrassing yourself in public, so it's all relative.

 

[Puretone]

I understand the fans' disappointment, but for them to act so angry just proves how bored and well-fed they are, with no problems in life. I just couldn't ever stand up in a big convention hall, as a 40 something year old grown man, and ask some snarky question to a guy who only wants to make fun things for you. Maybe because I have a sense of shame.

It proves how venal and shitty most game companies have become. That's the anger. Karma's a bitch innit?

And, considering that the members of the audience PAID for the privilege to be there.. You do know that right? They paid to get news about some shitty mobile game. Do you really think they got their money's worth?

Hey, I'd be ticked if I paid money to see a fashion show and got to see bubba in his dirty tidy whities. Or paid to go to a restaurant known for serving prime rib and getting a plate of chipped beef on wonder bread. I would NOT feel lucky just to be there.

But getting shit for my money is something I'm supposed to lump or I'm somehow overprivileged? Fuck that noise.

It's the waiter in this situation that should be ashamed because integrity.

 

[Brenda Archer]

This isn't the first recent example of fans being toxic; they also did it to the writer Christie Golden for a reason I can't even remember (that's how important I thought it was.)

The same poisonous attitude is present in the games themselves. If the company finds an easier way to make money, who will advocate for the players or care? Nostalgia and tradition are not business considerations and the old days are truly gone.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

On top of regular internet toxicity and paying for blizzcon, I think one of the major contributors to the negative reaction is the looming spectre of "the end of PC gaming supremacy." That at some point, sooner now, the console and mobile markets will be the only place that developers take seriously anymore. And the limits imposed by those platforms will just become standard for all future games.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

I disagree; it is right, that many hard core Diablo gamers of course do consider mobile gaming/Diablo as inferior. But this was not the reason for the reaction.

What Blizzard did is something like buying the best steak house in town, changing the menu without further notice to strictly vegan, and telling all of the old in crowd ordering a steak "sorry, we only got salad from now on, because meat is unhealthy, and we do know better than you what's good for you, so you should thank us."

 

[Noodles]

On top of regular internet toxicity and paying for blizzcon, I think one of the major contributors to the negative reaction is the looming spectre of "the end of PC gaming supremacy." That at some point, sooner now, the console and mobile markets will be the only place that developers take seriously anymore. And the limits imposed by those platforms will just become standard for all future games.

Yeah, that fear isn't just a worry about not being the supreme "Glorious PC Master Race". Consoles and mobile are way more locked down so it's easier to lock players into bull shit loot boxes and pay to proceed time gates and overpriced DLC items and "subscribe to online" models.

All things that on the PC can never work because inevitably they will get modded out by someone so people can just play the game.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

I disagree; it is right, that many hard core Diablo gamers of course do consider mobile gaming/Diablo as inferior. But this was not the reason for the reaction.

What Blizzard did is something like buying the best steak house in town, changing the menu without further notice to strictly vegan, and telling all of the old in crowd ordering a steak "sorry, we only got now salad from now on, because meat is unhealthy, and we do know better than you what's good for you, so you should thank us."

Of the people that actually paid to go to blizzcon, you're probably right. I'm including the many vocally outraged that didn't go.

 

[Brenda Archer]

Yeah, that fear isn't just a worry about not being the supreme "Glorious PC Master Race". Consoles and mobile are way more locked down so it's easier to lock players into bull shit loot boxes and pay to proceed time gates and overpriced DLC items and "subscribe to online" models.

All things that on the PC can never work because inevitably they will get modded out by someone so people can just play the game.

It’s possible PC gaming will become a niche, but I think Micro$oft might have something to say about that.

It might also mean the modding, pirate server and virtual world communities are more important than we seem. Maybe it’s on us to make the AAA games of the future.

This will make it less accessible to passive consumers, but that’s where a lot of the toxicity is coming from, so I’m not sure it’s a great loss if they go elsewhere.

I don’t think PC gaming is dead, but the business model of it that makes it inaccessible to people who don’t have high end new machines and fast internet connections doesn’t seem to me to be compatible with emerging markets. What is compatible is good old DIY anarchy and Moore’s Law will take care of the rest.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

I don't think that PC gaming will become a niche; the thing though is that many people observe PC gaming as this expensive, high end stuff thing, where you can bury tons of money for mediocre gains at the best.

A console therefore is boring, you buy one once every 4-5 years, it does come with a price tag of maybe around 500$, and then you are settled. So you invest the price of let's say a higher mid range graphics card for the PC, and you're done for a few years. And you don't have to bother with overclocking, working by yourself on the machine, and so and and on.

Therefore consoles are for many people the far more interesting platform than PCs, when it comes to terms of investment and maintenance.

 

[GoblinCampFollower]

 

[Free]

I dunno if such games should be on the PC, but I'm certain spam should be on no PC.

 

[Casey Pelous]

I dunno if such games should be on the PC, but I'm certain spam should be on no PC.

It's a pretty weighty topic -- maybe they were meditating on it for 2 1/2 years and achieved enlightenment.

 

[Free]

It's a pretty weighty topic -- maybe they were meditating on it for 2 1/2 years and achieved enlightenment.

I've tried that, but I've never reached any sort of enlightenment. Just more spam in my inbox.

 

[Essence Lumin]

Rumor: Blizzard was going to announce Diablo 4 at BlizzCon but cancelled at the last minute | PC Gamer

Good thing they cancelled. They still haven't announced it with the earliest speculation being 2023.

https://www.techradar.com/news/diablo-4-news-release-date-trailers-rumors