Activision passes on PC Gaming Alliance membership
by Mike Schramm 
Apr 17th 2009 at 9:00AM
It could be pretty easily argued that Blizzard is one of the biggest PC gaming development houses in the business today -- they consistently own both the sales charts and the playtime stats in terms of PC gaming. But Activision-Blizzard has quietly confirmed that they've passed on a membership to the PC Gaming Alliance, a group that claims to be "the authoritative voice on PC gaming worldwide." Activision, for their part, says that they just couldn't justify the membership fee, and this isn't the first industry group that they've snubbed: they famously left the ESA and their big yearly conference at E3 last year.The PCGA claims that this isn't a big setback -- despite this and a few other losses, they say their numbers have grown, and they cite a few other big still-members, including Microsoft, Nvidia, and Intel. But given how much of an influence Activsion-Blizzard is in PC gaming, it's hard to say you're the "authoritative voice" of the platform when you don't have any formal connection to the biggest developer/publisher in the industry.
What does this mean to us players? Probably nothing right now -- the PCGA is right: the loss of Activision probably won't affect their work at all. But Blizzard, for better or worse, is being steered by Activision away from the industry at large. Right now, with events like BlizzCon and a huge reputation of their own, they don't need to be tied into these industry groups. But that may not always be the case.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard, BlizzCon
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Actard Apr 17th 2009 9:16AM
Clearly Blizzard need to start re-asserting themselves a bit more.
elstor Apr 17th 2009 9:18AM
^this
Scones Apr 17th 2009 9:20AM
Doesn't really affect the way Blizzard does business, just means that they could add a title. Personally the PCGA needs to get more agressive on their marketing
Cabcru Apr 17th 2009 9:26AM
PCGA? Didn't the SecuROM clowns just join them? If you ask me, staying far away from those dopes seems like a great idea. The PCGA are a joke.
Scott Apr 17th 2009 9:30AM
When I read topics like this one I always think of the same thing. Anybody else remember that scene in "Jerry Maguire" where Tom Cruise's character has just lost his top client and prospect and is left with only Cuba Gooding's malcontent wide receiver? Gooding's character says "You're loving me now aren't you?", and Cruise's character replies "Very much."
Blizzard may not need the industry right now, but as with all things, there will come a time when they will.
smiley Apr 17th 2009 10:34AM
see.. thats just it... the PCGA is NOT the "industry"
it doesn't make sense for developers to even pay them as part of it.
Thier goal as stated is to make PC gaming esentually on par with consoles... nevermind that the console-pc line is blurring with each generation of consoles... internet browsing on the ps3 anybody?
when a game developer company puts out a commercial its for the GAME, the console may make them put thier logo as part of the advertisment for it for lic. purposes but when it comes down to it the hardware people are really who should be involved in the PCGA
Microsoft as publisher of directX and the operating system of most use in the industry is probably the only real software that needs apply.
that said its hard to have somethign like the PCGA given the diversity in PC makers.
sure HP, Alien ware/Dell, gateway, and so many more could and do advertise thier products or gamers but when there is competiton in your own group you couldn't get many places.
notice they have Intel and Nvidia (esentually the same company. I doubt they'd get AMD andATI ( also esentually the same) why? because like the ps3/360 competition they are kinda the enemy, and the PCGA is trying to get them under one tent...
or in WoW terms sure the alliance and the horde are in the same world, doesn't mean they wanna work together unless its the fate of the world... and in PC gaming the industry isn't in dire need of comradory.
smiley Apr 17th 2009 11:07AM
ok so turns out AMD IS part of it, and so are alot of hardware companies... which is the way it should be :D
now wat capcom is doing there... god only knows why, esp considereing they make most of thier sales from console games
ScytheNoire Apr 17th 2009 9:31AM
PCGA is a joke, just an excuse to get easy money out of companies. And the big three quoted there, Microsoft, nVidia and Intel. Microsoft is pretty much out of PC gaming, although still has DirectX and Windows, and the other two make hardware. So not much in terms of developers and publishers.
Candina@WH Apr 17th 2009 10:07AM
I expect the conversation at Act-Blizz went something like this:
Marketing Guy: The PCGA is asking for [insert stupidly large membership fee here] from us so we can join their organization.
Bean Counter: OK... what do we get out of it.
Marketing Guy: We can put their logo on our boxes.
Bean Counter: .... and this will increase sales or reduce player churn how?
Marketing Guy: It's a cool logo.
Bean Counter: ROIGHT. We'll pass.
Browder Apr 17th 2009 10:10AM
I'm thinking blizzard wants to become their own entity on being an "authoritative voice" in pc gaming.
just another plot for blizz'a worl domination plan :P
Ferarro Apr 17th 2009 10:13AM
This *might* come back to bite them later.
Zhiva Apr 17th 2009 10:37AM
Which them, PCGA or Actiblizzard?
smiley Apr 17th 2009 10:38AM
ok I KNOW you did not type that with a straight face.
Heston Apr 17th 2009 10:53AM
Blizzard already is the authoritative voice in PC gaming.
Thana Apr 17th 2009 11:54AM
Wasn't Activision one of the founding member of the PCGA? That's kinda what it looks like based on the original announcements. (In which case, I doubt Blizzard really cared about leaving it.)
Possibly Activision first saw it as a good way to get close to big companies, but now that they have Blizzard with them they consider themselves big enough to stand on their own.
(Also, I don't see this as being a loss.)
MechChef Apr 17th 2009 2:51PM
"Passes on PC Gaming *Alliance*"
So, this means Blizz favors Horde, right? OMG. /giggle