Gaming Journalists Found Wanting
by Michael Camilleri
Well it’s been over a week now and I’ve given up waiting. Waiting? For what? Perhaps some background detail is in order first.
Despite seemingly all predictions to the contrary, Blizzard Entertainment, the developers behind the ridiculously successful World of Warcraft, announced last week that their next game would be a sequel to their ridiculously successful real-time strategy game from ten years ago, StarCraft. The lead-up had been an exciting few weeks as gaming web sites debated what exactly Blizzard had in store. Maybe it’s just the sites I visited but the consensus at the time leant heavily towards a StarCraft MMO (ie, World of StarCraft). The logic was perhaps epitomised best by Penny Arcade back in June.
Yet you’d hardly think it based on the reactions of the gaming press to the formal announcement. ‘Picked it’, seemed to be what everyone felt. I suppose in a sense they did. They suggested it was going to be a StarCraft game and while its a different StarCraft game to what they all suggested it’s still StarCraft and not one of the myriad other franchises apart from Warcraft that Blizzard oversees.
(And by ‘myriad’ I mean ‘two’.)
(And by ‘two’ I mean ‘1 + Rock’n’Roll Racing’.)
I don’t mind that people got it wrong. I was thinking MMO as well. But the complete lack of any introspection has left me a little bewildered. Isn’t there a story here? Why has Blizzard decided to turn its back on a revenue stream that would have arguably exceeded World of Warcraft? People are dying for a sci-fi MMO and you can count the current contenders on one finger. Why were so many people wrong? Is a StarCraft MMO still in the works and this is just a ploy to get people back into a universe that is ten years old? Blizzard prefaced World of Warcraft with Warcraft III. Might StarCraft 2 simply be leading the way for the MMO to come?
Well I don’t know the answers to any of those questions because no one’s asked them, let alone suggested answers. Instead all we’ve been given in terms of ‘coverage’ is the standard press release regurgitation one comes to expect from the gaming press. I guess asking some of these questions might require, I don’t know, work. Just imagine how arduous all that questioning could be. First, you’d have to pick up the phone. Then you’d have to dial a number. Presuming of course you already knew the number. If you didn’t you’d have to look it up! Of course operating the phone is the easy part. After getting through on the phone you’d then have to talk to someone. On the phone. My head is spinning just writing about it.
I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t read every gaming rag out there. If someone is talking about this please let me know. I would love to read the analysis. As it stands, as far as I can see this is yet another example of an opportunity gone begging. I understand that most people involved in the industry aren’t involved as journalists. That’s OK. I don’t have a problem with that. Just don’t call yourself journalists if that’s the case: game critic is perfectly acceptable and a lot more honest.
Comments
Me 3! Ditto everything you said. I don’t get it. Discussions have been rife on the subject and there is disappointment all around. Perhaps we are a year or so away from the big news? Vivendi and Blizzard have been in the news recently for a new cropping of jobs becoming available. Perhaps there will be some news after E3.
Here’s to the possibility that there is yet a Sci-Fi MMO on the horizon. :)
Thank you for the article.
First of all, I would say that if they did not make an rts of Starcraft 2, Korea would loose it’s national sport -> playing starcraft, and second, I would much rather play a starcraft 2 rts than an MMO version of starcraft. Blizzards original business was making real time strategy games, and with such a big market (one that still using battle.net but not paying for it), particularly in asia, I would think they would like those people to buy a new real time strategy from them, rather than continuing to play the old ones on battle.net. battle.net doesn’t pay for itself…. or does it?
I do not thing that warcraft 3 was made just so they could make world of warcraft, you may have noticed that originally there was a plan for an adventure game of warcraft rather than an mmo, which was later changed (unless it was an April fools joke that I missed, because it always looked like it was going to be bad.)
However, I do agree that we need a Sci-Fi MMO but I’d rather they make it after they make the rts.
I loved the original Starcraft, and am looking forward to the sequal. I for one would be very disapointed if they had made it an MMO. Internet in Australia is too damed expensive to use on games.
Besides I like to have a game which I can play even when I don’t have access to an internet connection.
Long live the RTS
Well presumably the ‘evidence’ that the announcement was going to be an MMO (the job hires and what-not) indicates there are definitely plans afoot for something later on. As I suggested in the OP, it makes sense to me that StarCraft 2 is part of a strategy to refamiliarise people with the StarCraft universe while at the same time deepening the story and setting things up for a game that explores that in greater detail.
Well my point wasn’t so much to criticise Blizzard’s decision; I’m looking forward to playing another Blizzard RTS as much as anyone else. My gripe as it was was just with the way the issue has been covered by the gaming press who seem to have completely forgotten about the possibility of a StarCraft MMO as soon as the words ‘Hell, it’s about time’ were out of a certain space marine’s mouth.
I’m looking forward to another Blizzard RTS, too. I do think Blizzard make interesting MMOs, though. Although I didn’t descend into the madness that some of my friends did with WoW I did find it an enjoyable game and I’d love to explore the universe of StarCraft in a way only an MMO really allows. Still, we’ll see how it goes. I reckon it’s only a matter of time.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that there’s currently a perfectly good space RTS series knocking about in Dawn of War. It’s using cover, squad customisation and a whole lot of other interesting little doodads as well as some really pretty 3D graphics. If Blizzard really wanted to go down the RTS road, something other than space shlock scifi would have been infinately more interesting – especially since everyone always acknowledged that StarCraft was really just some kind of fusion of Stargate, Warhammer 40k and a few popular anime films & series.
Bring on a steampunk RTS, a decent historical one or some dystopian police state people vs. the government thing. Hell cash in on PotC and make a water-based, Age of Discovery one. Don’t retread StarCraft – it was a nice system for RTS, but a pretty stale universe. Or even a gothic-horror Diablo RTS would be doable.
And only two franchises Mike? For shame. Have you forgotten the glory that was Shattered Nations? Pax Imperia 3? Any of the trailers on the W3 CD that never eventualised?
A steam punk RTS would be really cool, not just because it would give the opportunity for different units and locations but for the reason that you point out: it’s fresh. Sure StarCraft 2 looks pretty but the Protoss still look pretty much the same, just prettier.