Blizzard's Pardo: 'DOTA' belongs to community, not Valve

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze Why should Blizzard have trademarked it though? It's no more Blizzard's than it is Valves. Trademarking DOTA at this point would be like trademarking FPS or MMORPG.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I do not think a company that's in bed with Activision should talk about" the community". They charge monthly fees, sell mounts and pets, and arena dues. CoD was a great example of the joined companies view of pc gamers. Valve has always been good to their fans. I like both, but im just saying.

@The Wicker Man

'They charge monthly fees' um yeah? It's a massive mmo with loads of strain on their servers. If they didn't charge monthly fees they'd be losing out on money.

"sell mounts and pets"
oh yeah because Valve isn't doing that right now. Atleast mounts and pets don't affect gameplay, which is more than I can say for the set bonuses in TF2 or the purchasable items in TF2.

@The Wicker Man

I have NEVER seen a more devoted company to their fans then Blizzard is to their's. No company even matches Blizzards devotion to their fans.

And I think it's you who is being the prick, he was just countering your arguement and you got all defensive, when what he said is correct. If Blizzard didn't charge a monthly fee for their games WoW would be as bad as Runescape, or worse. Their server equipment is the best out there, about 150 realms holding 12 million people (even though they aren't all logged on at the same time) is nothing to scoff at in the slightest, it is amazing technology, and it requires millions and millions to run.

On topic though, I believe neither should copy-right it, it should be for everyone.

@Zatheyll

"I have NEVER seen a more devoted company to their fans then Blizzard is to their's. No company even matches Blizzards devotion to their fans."

I disagree. Valve SURPASSES Blizzard's devotion to their fans.

Note: I'm saying this as a person who owns every Blizzard PC game other than Diablo and Diablo 2. That includes things like Norse by Norsewest (Lost Vikings 2).

@Powerlord Careful, or his guild will white you out for disagreeing with him! :P

@The Wicker Man

Wow and you're calling me insulting names? Someone is incredibly defensive.

@2late2die Or they could have just done what Heroes of Newerth and League of Legends did, and... called the game something completely different. Nobody's saying Valve can't make a game in the DotA style. What Pardo is saying (and what I completely agree with) is that they shouldn't have the DotA NAME, since it belongs to the War3 community, and not one guy who happened to work on DotA's development.

Honestly, though? Blizzard probably has this one in the bag, legally. War3 map mod TOS means that if you make a map in War3 and upload it to Battle.net, you're giving Blizzard the rights. So Blizzard has ALWAYS had the rights to DotA ever since the first versions. That they didn't trademark it thus far shows that they simply had no intention of ever doing so.

@2late2die:

My thoughts exactly. If Valve hadn't done this, there could potentially be a very large problem in the future.

@2late2die

Kotick doesn't mess with Blizzard, he might own them, but he doesn't mess with them. If he tried I bet Blizzard would split from Activision and he knows that.

@zerokku

DOTA has been around since WC3. Do you really think Blizzard just 'never got around' to it? If so, explain why the Riot guys didn't trademark DOTA? Because they knew it would be an out of turn thing to do, and that's what Valve did.

@Cleric Considering it took them 12 years to put out Starcraft 2...yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if they never got around to it until now.

@Electrium

You act like taking 12 years to make Starcraft 2 is a bad thing. They take a long time on their games, but if they didn't their games would never be like they are now, Blizzard own's some of the top games in the world, and that is because they work on it till it is finished, they don't release a crappy half assed version.

@Zatheyll
Which is also why Valve's Team Fortress 2 took something like 9 years to make.

Don't try and pretend that Blizzard is the only company this applies to.

@zsavior Are you serious? Are you absolutely serious?

Valve cares as much about its bottom line as every single company in this industry. They don't give you free games because they love you so much, they give you free games because it keeps you coming back to Steam and buying new games, which they get a cut of.

Just because they don't charge for occasional DLC (oh wait, hi there MannCo) doesn't mean that they aren't getting their money's worth on development.

How can you say that they don't care about their community when they're giving four new games to everyone who owns SC2? (Which is worth buying because it's a fantastic game in its own right. This is just icing on the cake.) Yes, WoW has a $12/mo fee, but that's because MMOs are obscenely expensive to run - and the patches they give for free are well worth it. Name another company that gives its huge persistent world the sort of content overhaul Blizz is doing for Cataclysm - and this happens to everyone regardless if you buy the expansion - for no additional cost? None.

Don't get me wrong, I love Valve. They're my second favorite PC gaming company after Blizzard. But to just uphold them as pure and saintly and Can Do No Wrong while decrying Mean Ol' Mr. Blizzard just strikes me as grossly ignorant of what's actually going on.

@JerrytheB

I have paid nothing with Main co. NOTHING, I don't know why you have, and I got the block box and the battalion back up.;Just missing the hat. You do know saying these things can easily be check out out on the net right? You want to debate this Fine.

Lets see what you get for 12 bucks from wow. 2004 WOW has been out since 2004 this is the grand update

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vanq22zo4Wc&feature=related

this is the brand spanking new beta.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svr5bVx-rOo&feature=channel

See any change NOPE. Blizzard has boasted how much they have made from wow and look at what you get for your loyalty. But wait lets see Alien swarm Valve's FREE Game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7J87wnq16E&feature=related

By the way Cataclysm isn't free and changing their old lands isn't "SPECIAL" to me. so I am sorry Where is this blizzard love? Their original Content of starcraft contained 3 different Campaigns. Their new star craft. Meh one, and you can wait sometime in 2011 IF THEY FEEL, like to play the zerg.

by the way just encase you think I am full of it, Recipe for the black box, 3 refined metals direct hit. You can make the Mann Co store items. Not my fault you didn't know that.

By the way, if you want to know what todays MMOs look like visit guild wars 2 site. Also did I mention Guild wars 2 will be FREE no monthly fee just the cost of game.

But Blizz loves their community.

So show me your examples, Don't just say I am ignorant and sit back Show me blizz superior gifts to the community. Or is it you can't do that? When wrath of the Lich king First debuted the damn thing wasn't even finished, you bought the game and there was one raid dungeon. But blizz got their money and you paid the monthly fear so BAH who cares. Give me your examples please.

@zsavior Yeah, just missing the hat. It's easy to get items, but I've played TF2 every weekend since it came out and I think I have one, maybe two hats? Oh, no worry, I can just buy one on the MannCo store for $20! At least Blizzard's in-game stuff is just 100% cosmetic, unlike the MannCo stuff which gives you in-game powers.

Your mistake is thinking that the change is just cosmetic. Western Plaguelands is HUGELY different--there's new quests, the entire plot of the zone has changed, and they had to remodel the entire place so that it's now fully flyable instead of just made with facades like most games. And the changes that come with Cataclysm ARE free. Everybody gets patch 4.0 that changes the world, you just don't get to go above level 80.

Alien Swarm was free, it also has all the depth of a puddle. A fun little diversion for about an hour.

SC2 has about the same content as SC1, who cares if you just get one of the races? I don't think I've ever met anyone who actually bought and played SC2 who didn't think that they got their money's worth out of the game. All you're doing is showing just how little you know about these things other than the ranting you've heard on game forums.

GW2 will hopefully be great. GW1 was flawed but entertaining, I just remain skeptical that ArenaNet will be able to deliver on all of its promises. What does this have anything to do with WoW? Can there only be one good MMO in the market at once?

WotLK had three raids in at launch: Naxx, Malygos, and OS. Please get your facts straight before you complain.

@JerrytheB

And Wow is deep? Raid raid raid? I am sorry And your point actually helped my argument, a Massive update included only 3 raid dungeons. One of those being a Nerfed dungeon from Vanilla wow in Naxx. I noticed you still don't want to compare offerings. Because there is no comparison.

You compare blizzard to what only makes you happy. That is great, but that doesn't make them a better company. Furthermore the difference in blizzard and Valve is huge, one adds extras to get fans. The other depends on fans loyalties to do less. You may not care that it was one race but, that doesn't detract that blizz sold less for more.

As for items that change the game every, expansion blizz incorporates items that completely change the game mechanics. Furthermore blizz will completely change classes to fit a new view nobody else agrees with I.E. Holy Power for paladins?

You can't point to anything blizz has done for their community just for loyalty but detract from valve's offerings as cheap. That sir rings as just bias. Do I love valve YOU DAMN RIGHT. But they give me a reason to love them. You haven't given me any reason why I should trust blizz at all over Valve.

@zsavior
Well, Blizzard is a pretty good developer. They make quality games. I only own one game made by Blizzard tho, which is StarCraft II. That game is probably the best RTS.. ever. Heck, they even make their own mods for it.

@ZayCube

I am not saying they don't make good, great, even SPECTACULAR Games. I will not try and even argue that point. My point was only this, how can blizz look at Valve and tell them they are trying to take anything away from the Dota community.

How much has Valve given to make PC games great and thrive. While both companies seek to make money. Valve has seek to make money while making others prosper. The people who made weapons for Mann CO. made upwards to 48,000 dollars. Valve didn't rip them off, steam has done more for computer gaming then anything out there. So when i read a story like this from Companies like Riot and Blizzard who only think about their own offerings and nickle and dime the consumer at that, I get kind and annoyed.

If you aren't offering me more than the next guy don't argue they are robbing anybody, because you aren't doing better. Stick to what they do best, making games. That is fine, but don't act as if Valve is ripping any one off. Just look at Borderlands Duke nukem Demo.

If you bought the game through steam You get the demo same as if you bought the Game of the year version. Show me a company that wouldn't have tried to get some extra cash for that Demo from fans of the game. Why should I miss trust Valve that is all I was pointing out, two game companies with distinctly different business practices on how to gain and earn fan loyalty.

@JerrytheB What the hell is up your collective asses over the Mann Co. update? Are you the same nutjobs who are mad that Valve released a timely sequel with Left 4 Dead 2? Don't like don't buy. The lions share of that stuff is unlocked with dedication (much like your W.o.W) But of course they are a company and they are there to make money. Releasing free games on Steam is bad? Okay...Sales on Steam are bad? At least they give a reach around once in awhile.

@JerrytheB

I don't know why you guys are downgrading JerrytheB, in essence what he said is completely correct. It is Blizzards choice to release what they want, NOT yours, AT ALL. WoW is actually the most depth filled game I have ever seen. On wow-wiki over 80k articles most of them 3+ pages long about the game, and you say that isn't depth? The lore can be talked about forever, it can fill a whole entire library with books on it, and you say that doesn't have depth? It's you guys who need to get your facts strait.

@zsavior I agree. I just felt like I had to pop in with this opinion.

@JerrytheB

The mannco stuff that gives you powers/upgrades/stats is all earnable in game.......

Just saying, lets not let things like facts get in the way of the anti valve sentiment and downvoting of anything remotely anti blizzard

I really hope that somehow comes back to bite them squarely in the ass.

@nembutals
It sounds a lot like DOTA Allstars with a few extra features.

There's a reason people keep saying they wouldn't be surprised if it's released as a free game... there's not a lot new in it that you can't already from the Warcraft 3 version, other than it being more polished and using its own game engine.

@CA

"you take the point"

@(Unverified)

What? really? wow Portal, Left 4 dead, TF2, Half Life, When you said that just now did you really believe that? But I guess blizz putting plant verse zombie in WOW and bejeweled is innovation.

@Brockobama321

Yeah, I'm glad I never have to do something so silly from Valve.

Now, excuse me, I better buy the $17.99 hat so I can go 10% faster in TF2...

@Falcon6

Or you know, you could craft it? Not my fault you're impatient.

@Brockobama321

Same deal with Blizzard, really. "Oh, I want the mount now! I'll just buy it now so I look SUPER SPECIAL AWESOME! No reason to put in effort for the other super awesome fliers"

I get more out of that $15 a month than I usually get from most $60 games in a week. *shrug*

@Falcon6

You're an idiot. None of those mounts can be earned in game, they're all exclusive. To top it off, you have terrible taste.

@Brockobama321

Hm. Insulting my intelligence, as well as my taste. You are just the greatest and best commenter in the world.

On a serious note, I know the mount(s) from the store are not available in-game. I never said they were, and I think you misunderstood my point. I said instead of putting in the effort for the other awesome fliers in the game, they can put in money to get that. Which is all vanity, sure, but in that respect, it'd be more against Valve because the items you can buy from them actually can affect the way the game is played.
Not saying that's bad or anything, especially since TF2 is free-to-play, but the only 'content packs' that Blizzard produced have all been vanity DLC. Aside from the expansions which, let's be honest, shouldn't be thrown in with actual content packs that may offer a few maps or something. Everything else has been mounts, non-combat pets, and maybe some flavor items in the future.

In any case, we seem to have gotten off-track from the original topic. Where, exactly, did you see the $15 content packs that Blizzard is giving us?