Ten innovation lessons from Blizzard
by Mike Schramm 
Apr 7th 2008 at 2:30PM
The OC Register (Blizzard's HQ -- I'm pretty sure that's where it's at, as they're not exactly open with their location info -- is located right down near them in Southern California) has a blog post up featuring 11 "innovation lessons" other companies can learn from the folks behind World of Warcraft. While the lessons aren't exactly innovative themselves (I think there are lots of companies that do this stuff, and none of them have a ten million player game), the post does provide a good look inside Blizzard's process and the thinking behind what they do.Blizzard is pretty stubbornly committed to quality -- not only do they notoriously release things "when they're done," but if something doesn't work they apparently are happy to trash it completely (see Starcraft: Ghost). It is amusing, too, that Rob Pardo says he and Frank Pearce are trying to make "great entertainment projects, not perfect ones." WoW has its bugs, sure, but when you look at Blizzard's catalog: Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft, you have to wonder what a "perfect" game looks like in Pardo's mind. Those are about as perfect as they come.
And they "eat their own dog food," too: J. Allen Brack apparently spends four hours a night (up to 15 hours a week) playing the game on his own time at home. Seems like it would be tough for other companies to pull these strategies into their own plan (Blizzard really releases one-of-a-kind products), but as consumers, it's neat to get another look into the way they work.
[Via Slashdot]
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Aphext Apr 7th 2008 2:41PM
That map location corresponds to the University Hills housing, operated by the University of California for professors at UCI. The Blizzard HQ has recently moved (the OC Register has an article on their new location), but was previously located at the UCI research park, about 1/2 west of the current pin location on the google map.
Aphext Apr 7th 2008 2:42PM
That map location corresponds to the University Hills housing, operated by the University of California for professors at UCI. The Blizzard HQ has recently moved (the OC Register has an article on their new location), but was previously located at the UCI research park, about 1/2 west of the current pin location on the google map.
Naix Apr 7th 2008 3:01PM
Not impressed.
Chris Anthony Apr 7th 2008 3:40PM
Are you ever?
Matt Apr 7th 2008 3:45PM
I think the ability to mod the UI in wow was a great move by Blizz. It gives people chances to do their own thing then Blizz can take those ideas and implement them into the regular UI... as they have been doing.
Hugh "Nomad" Hancock Apr 7th 2008 6:19PM
"Make great games, not perfect ones" is a bloody brilliant motto. Trying to make anything perfect is an absolutely sure way to either a) never release anything or b) release something awful.
(Honourable exception goes to Heston Blumenthal.)
I've seen so many people fail or not even start because they thought they had to be perfect.