Patch 5.4 patch notes
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The latest patch 5.4 newsThe many MMOs of Blizzard
by Mike Schramm 
Jul 21st 2008 at 6:00PM
Our good friends at Massively have put together a feature on "the many MMOs of Blizzard," and we can hear you now: You're asking what they could mean by "many MMOs," since Blizzard only has the one. But Blizzard is working on, as you probably know, a next-gen MMO, and their writeup is all about the many possible MMOs they might have rumored to be in the works.As much as everyone would like a Lost Vikings MMO, or even a World of Warcraft 2, or a long-rumored Universe of Starcraft, I'm going with the last answer: none of the above. Blizzard could adapt any of their worlds to the massively format (well, except for Rock N' Roll Racing, but Massively has included it anyway), but considering that Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 are already in the works as non-MMOs, my guess is that Blizzard is going to break new ground with a brand-new IP whenever they return to the MMO format with another game.
Of course, this being Blizzard, they're not likely to give any hints until they want to give them to us, and if for some reason the next-gen MMO never does come about, we'll probably never even know what it was. But speculation is half the fun. What would a Blackthorne MMO even be like -- maybe a free-to-play sidescroller?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
jrb Jul 22nd 2008 7:00AM
i agree 100%.
there are a lot of really good reasons why blizz would favour starcraft MMO over a warcraft sequel, or even diablo MMO.
#1 WoW is already pretty much diablo in that it shares a lot of gameplay elements. Okay, the lore's not the same, but how would they innovate WoD from WoW?
#2 WoW will already be going for a number of years, yet. A number of other potential MMO makers have stated they expect WoW to run, and be a market leader for another 5 - 7 years. I rekon it will be actively developed for another 2 expansion packs after WotLK. #3 the analogy with the development of WoW alongside WC3, and SC2, and a potential SC MMO work well. It also gives blizzard the opportunity to expand the lore, and gameplay elements enough in SC2 to accomodate fleshing it out a lot more for the MMO space.
#4 you simply can't deny that SC has a massive following, and brand loyalty that blizzard wouldn't have to develop again, which they would have to do for a new IP.
#5 don't forget there was a lot of work done with SC Ghost, that was never 'cancelled'. My bet is that any SC MMO would be an extrapolation of SC Ghost.
kujo Jul 22nd 2008 8:45AM
Personally, a totally new IP would be great; but as a huge fan of StarCraft, I would really love to see the game be made into an MMO.
However, not in the sense that World of Warcraft is.
It would simply be too much of the same thing.
What I would really like to see Blizzard do with the title would be to make a FPS-style shooter game, along the lines of "Command and Conquer: Renegade" with massive worlds in which battles can occur on, a-la Sony's "Planetside".
I have played both of the above mentioned games for a good long time, before both eventually folded....and their servers became ghost towns. Both games are still really quite fun to play. Which is where Blizzard could possibly clean house by making their own.
Their competition would be the likes of Battlefield:2142 and Call of Duty 4.
Personally...I'll choose Blizzard any day.
John Jul 22nd 2008 10:44AM
Well, if Blizz is making a "next-gen MMO" that could imply an MMO for a "next-gen console", but my vote's either for worlds of starcraft (universe of doesnt sound right), or something truly next-generation, something that takes a page from second life or spore's user created content and takes it to the next level, probably (thankfully) without second life's RMT and Furry/child/OMGWTFBBQ erotic roleplay. User-created content is the wave of the future, and any next-gen MMO has got to embrace it if they want to remain competitive with stuff like Spore (which isn't even an MMO, my WoW sub expires 10 days after spore's released and I already know I'll likely let it lapse until wrath comes out and play spore like crazy) and to be truly "next-gen" it's gotta have user-created content, anything else will just be prettier graphics.
Blayed Jul 23rd 2008 11:01AM
A lot of you are basing your opinions ENTIRELY on graphics and visual splendor. If you've noticed in many of Blizzards games, that is NOT their primary concern! To re-work Azeroth and have everything look pretty would hold peoples attention for a month or 2, until the novelty of a pretty looking world wears off, then Blizzard will realize "Oh crap! We used all the WC lore in WoW1! /max exodus from WoW2. Blizzard needs a lore-rich environment to base their next MMO. Systems of Starcraft anyone? Dimention of Diablo?
B.D. Martinez Jul 23rd 2008 11:50PM
no way that Blizz would trample on there baby of WOW. One reason why WOW works is that it does not require a lot from the graphics end and they know that. They want as many people as possible to play the game and if they were to go an updated version with higher end requirements for graphics would kill that game in a heart beat. With the economy dropping and gas prices rising most people would not go and spend money either on a new computer or upgrading it for a game. It would be the least sound business plan ever. I think they will keep doing expansions for the game and content download via patches. Like I said they want everyone to experience there game not just a select few with high end machines.
No I think and I am hoping that there next mmo will be something of a new idea.