More murmurs from the mobile front
by Mike Schramm 
Sep 4th 2008 at 3:25PM
Blizzplanet continues to track down hints at what Blizzard might be planning in the mobile space, i.e. on the iPhone or another mobile computing platform (that Android Dream demo looked pretty sweet, too). Recently, Blizzard posted a job opening for a web software engineer, and while of course that could be for improvements to the Armory, or for the upcoming changes to Battle.net, but considering that many mobile apps are web apps nowadays, that position could definitely be put to work developing a web interface specifically for mobile platforms.And the second hint is a little more concrete: our sister site Massively has mentioned Vollee before -- they're a company that claims to be able to stream a PC game experience to a mobile platform like the iPhone. They've already created a Second Life client, and Blizzplanet notes that in one of their recent press releases, they mention that they've been working with Activision Blizzard on a partnership. There are a lot of games under the Activision Blizzard banner nowadays, of course, but WoW is the biggest one of them, and it's definitely the MMO Vollee would want to be working on.
Blizzard hasn't officially announced any version or WoW application for any mobile platforms, of course, and even if one was in the planning stages, there's no guarantee we'd ever see it in an releaseable form. But there's definitely a call to bring facets of World of Warcraft to mobile computing, and if they can work it out in a form they find acceptable, it would undoubtedly be popular.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Swiss Sep 4th 2008 3:47PM
While the thought of being able to play WoW on my iPhone sounds cool, I can't help but think that the user experience would be greatly diminished by putting it on a small screen with no keyboard. The only thing I could see it actually being good for is bank and auction house management or simple chatting.
When I think about handheld gaming, I remember the one time I decided to buy a Sony PSP and immediately regretted it because it caused eye strain and the controls were physically uncomfortable (for a kid, they're probably fine) for my hands. If I had to choose between playing WoW on my IPhone or doing something else while away from my PC, I would probably opt to do something else fairly quickly for the same reasons.
Alex Sep 4th 2008 3:43PM
"if they can work it out in a form they find acceptable, it would undoubtedly be popular."
Undoubtedly? A successful mobile MMO will look nothing like a successful PC MMO, and simply streaming the same experience over will be a flop.
If Blizzard is going to be as careful as they need to be, my guess is this thing won't leave the drawing boards.
Worcester Sep 4th 2008 4:55PM
Sorry, but this sounds like oh-so-many negative comments that we've seen time and time again. My guess is that you'll be singing the tune "I knew they could do it all along" when Blizzard releases a mobile WoW application that everyone loves.
Honestly, this is arguably the smartest game company on the planet right now. They have never, ever, been known to release sub-par games or services. We've all come to expect the very best from Blizzard and they come through each and every time. Why would a mobile application be any different?
I'm sure Blizzard encountered this same sort of preemptive criticism when they first announced they'd try an MMO. They get this same kind of criticism at almost every game launch or expansion.
Go ahead... bet on failure. I'll take those odds. Only an idiot would bet against the fastest, strongest horse in the race.
Gurgle Sep 4th 2008 4:15PM
Phone
dwi Sep 4th 2008 4:00PM
"There are a lot of games under the Activision Blizzard banner nowadays, of course, but WoW is the biggest one of them, and it's definitely the MMO Vollee would want to be working on."
I don't know about WoW being the biggest of them, Guitar Hero 3 had sold 8 million copies by July, and I would imagine GH4 would beat that. WoW does have the subscription, but then the GH has the DLC going.
wyrd Sep 5th 2008 11:05AM
8 million < 10+ million
Beli Sep 4th 2008 4:15PM
Of course, a "mobile" experience might not find its way to a phone... but there are rumors of companies working on ultra mobile multitouch computers - something in the 9 inch range for screen size. the implications of such a multitouch interface for WoW would be amazing - who needs keyboard shortcuts when you can just hit the spell on your screen? Who needs the WASD keys to run when you can just flick your finger or grab and rotate your character?
I could even see an experience like this extending to a smaller screen like an iPhone - you would have a limited access to spells due to real estate issues, but it could definitely work for short durations...
Mingzifer Sep 4th 2008 4:29PM
Another clue? The poll they are running on the general forum asking what kind of phone users have.
Fontane Sep 4th 2008 4:27PM
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=9336872880&sid=1
John W Sep 4th 2008 4:43PM
It might be a subset of WoW. Suppose that any of your characters logged off in a city with an AH you could access the AH? Or for every character logged off in a town with a mailbox you could access mail? No need for fancy 3D rendering, just access to time-sensitive game features.
Wayne Morton Sep 4th 2008 4:47PM
Hear me now, believe me later. I believe this will be one of the major announcements for Blizzcon 2008. Probably not a fully playable game version but an interface to your armory profile, mailbox and hopefully auction house from your Iphone is what I am expecting to see.
Blackhorn Sep 4th 2008 5:00PM
Oh sure, Blizzard claims WoW won't work on a console, despite the hundreds of millions of console in circulation right now, but putting it on a limited set of TELEPHONES with a base of less than a million people is a SURE THING.
Here's a giant hint: They're not putting WOW on a phone. At most they're putting a WoW-themed CHAT CLIENT on a phone. You can check your auctions, chat with your guild, check your guild's event calendar, do some bank alt stuff, etc.
Full fledged WoW on a phone isn't going to happen.
Blackhorn Sep 4th 2008 5:06PM
Need I remind you that no matter how amazing you think your phone is, there are full-blown laptops being manufactured to this day that can only just barely run WoW with everything turned down to the bare minimum, and your phone goes nowhere near a laptop in terms of speed, ram, storage, or performance.
You'll never see someone Raiding on their iPhone. Ever.
Chat/Mail/Auction/Inventory interface. There's your "mobile WoW"
Or you could go on believing that Blizzard is going to put millions of dollars, and millions of man-hours into dumbing down the size, look, and shape of WoW so that the very very select few WoW players out there with a capable phone can install wow (For FREE, no less, since we already bought the game and paid for a subscription, why would we want to pay for it again?) and play.
Gee. On second glance, that above scenario sounds like MONEY IN THE BANK.
I love you all.
bigjonno Sep 4th 2008 5:45PM
I don't think anyone believe that they'll be playing full-fledged WoW on a mobile phone. Chill out.
Thrush Sep 5th 2008 4:16PM
A mobile WoW fishing mini-game that skilled up your characters fishing and dropped the fish you catch into your bags or mail. I think that would be a fun way to kill some time on the train.