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Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

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Re: Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

#51

Post by reedf1 »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #26
tibbon wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WoW also just got boring for me a long time ago. Sure, they keep adding new things, but it's still riding in very deep treads they dug long ago. It's still fundamentally the same game, and in my eyes showing its age. I'd love to play a new MMO that explores new ideas. WoW explores WoW.

I've tried a bunch of MMOs since WoW... and despite newer engines and some neat features, they often end up just being... mostly WoW once the sheen wears off. I occasionally revisit WoW because if you're going to play a WoW clone, you might as well just play WoW.

You should try playing some older MMOs: EVE, Anarchy Online, Ultima Online, Runescape. All stuff fundamentally untouched by the WoW design - and they are much better for it IMO. When I've played these games, even 20 years on, I am completely stunned. Makes me realize how psychologically kneecapped we are by WoW.

Re: Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

#53

Post by haunter »

jandrese wrote: post #33
asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #8

I can't say what's driving all the playerbase losses but: They stopped development on Diablo 3 a long time ago. It doesn't have the staying power of more modern online games where new content is added continuously. They stopped development on HotS, which never achieved the same level of pull as League of Legends. Overwatch faces stiff competition from Valorant and other competitive small team FPSes, and also has over…

Blizzard kinda killed the RTS genre with Starcraft 1. It's basically the perfect RTS so everything that came after it seems inferior. Even Starcraft 2. There are still niches for specialized audiences, like historical battles with a more strategic bent, but for mass market RTS nothing has been able to beat a 23 year old game.

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Re: Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

#54

Post by pradn »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #8

I can't say what's driving all the playerbase losses but: They stopped development on Diablo 3 a long time ago. It doesn't have the staying power of more modern online games where new content is added continuously. They stopped development on HotS, which never achieved the same level of pull as League of Legends. Overwatch faces stiff competition from Valorant and other competitive small team FPSes, and also has over…

I'm unsure if the RTS genre is in a waning phase. AoE2 is still a top-20 game every day on Steam. Granted, it's a 20-year-old game. Maybe that shows new entrants can't make it; or maybe it shows there aren't enough good new entrants. StarCraft 2 is not as popular as it was, but would still be in the top 20 games if it were on Steam. We'll see if AoE4 gives the genre a kick. Initial reactions are somewhat lukewarm because of the art style, but the game play looks good.

Re: Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

#55

Post by iaml »

gmaster1440 wrote: post #5
nickstinemates wrote: post #3

Not surprising, Blizzard has lost its way and its brand doesn't mean what it once did. The fall from grace started with the advent of paid services, and in game cosmetic shop in WoW and all of the issues surrounding the launch of Diablo 3 (let alone the disaster that is OWL/Overwatch, complete abandonment in HotS, etc.)

What about Overwatch is a disaster?

The whole original vision for OWL was teams would travel around the world and play at esport arenas filled with people who bought the ticket. And then covid hit.

Re: Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

#57

Post by tsimionescu »

mschuster91 wrote: post #30
tsimionescu wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, the once famous Blizzard polish is all but reversed - Warcraft 3 Reforged speaks for itself, but also looking into World of Warcraft commentary, it has become common to expect systems present in the game at launch to require major fixes or overhauls over the coming patches. The very fact that players and commentators alike have grown to expect this speaks volumes to me about the changing perception.

This is something that's common across the entire industry (e.g. Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout 76 as the worst offenders). Testing costs a lot of money, automated testing isn't widely spread / feasible, and the cost of distributing patches is low - so many studios opt for the economic advantage of using their players as guinea pigs.

Sure, and it's always been a part of the industry. However, Blizzard used to be an exception - they were known for taking a long time and for doing tried-and-true game formulas, but for delivering extremely polished experiences, especially on the gameplay side. Basically, they were never the first to try out a game idea, but their game would always be what ended up defining that idea through sheer polish and mass market appeal (Warcraft II&III, Diablo II and WoW perhaps being the most enduring examples of how they defined a genre even while being far from the first).

Re: Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

#58

Post by salusinarduis »

I have long been a big time contributor to the World of Warcraft scene. I've contributed to MaNGOS, I was a developer for a big server project - that I can't mention here :) -, a best friend of mine developed the most popular WoW addon of all time that I have contributed to, etc.

I really was torn about going back to play Classic WoW, but I chose not to, simply because I hate Activision/Blizzard. I refuse to support that company with a single dollar.

Their games being lifeless and greedy is bad enough, but as a company they are mean spirited, and will plant a boot in the face of anyone in their community just because they can.

Re: Blizzard has lost almost 29% of its overall active playerbase in three years

#59

Post by SAI_Peregrinus »

haunter wrote: post #53
jandrese wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Blizzard kinda killed the RTS genre with Starcraft 1. It's basically the perfect RTS so everything that came after it seems inferior. Even Starcraft 2. There are still niches for specialized audiences, like historical battles with a more strategic bent, but for mass market RTS nothing has been able to beat a 23 year old game.

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Neither is an RTS. They're MOBAs.
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