Board 8 > Activision increasing influence in Blizzard, cutting costs

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://kotaku.com/with-activisions-influence-growing-blizzard-is-cutting-1831263741

Pretty worrying read regarding the future of Blizzard. Here is my favourite part:

Another, according to three Blizzard staff who all left recently, is a power shift that has seen the finance department cultivate influence that it had never had in the past.

Finance in general in Blizzard has been one of these invisible functions thats there, but doesnt have a say, said one veteran employee who left recently and asked not to be named because they were not authorized to talk to press. Now theyre suddenly in meetings.

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Just one step closer to the Crash.
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redrocket posted...

Just one step closer to the Crash.

Yeah there'll probably be Crash Bandicoot games on BattleNet before too long.
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UltimaterializerX posted...

I will NEVER forget Board 8 trying to tell me Blizzard would be fine after that merger.

To be fair

It was business as usual for a decade. This seems to have happened now because Mike Morhaime left.
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it was never a question of if, only a question of when
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Well, duh.
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UltimaterializerX posted...

I will NEVER forget Board 8 trying to tell me Blizzard would be fine after that merger.

Stock's up more than 3 x since the merger still.... if anyone listened to you and shorted ATVI stock in the past 10 years they would have gone broke trying to do so.

Like if they took your advice in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017... it would have been horrible advice. And I don't work for Blizzard, just saying that for the majority of this decade they've been doing great.
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The Merger happened what year? And yes, it followed the same path as every other merger. The initial "this is crazy cool!" to "ya that didnt help the consumer in hindsight"

World of Warcraft also contributed to the destruction. Once a company goes MMO, they eventually will fall. We were getting a major game or large xpac every year for years leading up to WoW
95 - Warcraft 2
96 - Diablo
97 - Bunch of Warcraft offshoot games and Diablo Hellfire (easily the weakest year)
98 - StarCraft
99 - Brood War (released technically in December 98 if i recall)
00 - Diablo 2
01 - Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction
02 - Warcraft 3
03 - Frozen Throne
04 - WoW

Then nothing in 05, 06, WoW expansions in 07 and 08. Nothing non WoW until 2010. The magic was lost, at least once WoW would start to lose people's interest.

Its also why Elder Scrolls is fucked, why Final Fantasy 11 ruined Final Fantasy, and Fallout 76 will ruin Fallout.
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Turns out having the most successful game in history will ruin your company
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If you keep it going too long then yes it will
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We'll have to wait another decade or two to see if that happens to Blizzard. You may end up being right.
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Is there an MMO that has come close to WOWs success?

Like the best examples are Lineage in China/Korea and FFXIV and those are paltry in comparison
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VeryInsane posted...

Is there an MMO that has come close to WOWs success?

Like the best examples are Lineage in China/Korea and FFXIV and those are paltry in comparison

No. Every other MMO thinks "if we can win just a fraction of WoW's playerbase, we'll be rich," and then it never happens.
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Not really, but they need to transition off WoW, and obviously started to a little bit ago. But the alienation of non WoW gamers for so long is hurting them now that WoW flatlined and started to decline in subscriber numbers. Overwatch's player base is still growing I think.
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Metal_DK posted...

The Merger happened what year?

Dec 2007. Blizzard was called Vivendi back then.
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VeryInsane posted...

Is there an MMO that has come close to WOWs success?

Like the best examples are Lineage in China/Korea and FFXIV and those are paltry in comparison

Dungeon Fighter Online, I think, though that doesnt have subscriptions
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VeryInsane posted...

Is there an MMO that has come close to WOWs success?

Like the best examples are Lineage in China/Korea and FFXIV and those are paltry in comparison

XI and XIV have sustained playerbases to be profitable long term successes. Not WoW level, but good.

Everyone else nope.