Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Diablo 3 for consoles may be different, but it's still Diablo]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/13/diablo-3-for-consoles-may-be-different-but-its-still-diablo/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/13/diablo-3-for-consoles-may-be-different-but-its-still-diablo/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/13/diablo-3-for-consoles-may-be-different-but-its-still-diablo/#commentsDiablo 3 for consoles different, but still Diablo Utter the phrase "Diablo for consoles" to anyone that has some familiarity with gaming history and you're bound to hear some Sideshow Bob-style shudders in response. Blizzard's skeleton-clicking series didn't have the most graceful entry into the world of console gaming, and after a disastrous 1998 PlayStation port Diablo hasn't dared to leave its PC home.

This year, however, Blizzard revealed Diablo 3 would make the transition with versions coming to Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One and PS4, finally giving console players a taste of the magic they've been missing out on for well over a decade.

Thankfully, Blizzard has been much more thoughtful this time about transitioning a mouse-and-keyboard-driven experience to console controls.

Gallery: Diablo 3 (E3 2013)

PS3 MultiplayerPS3 MultiplayerPS3 MultiplayerPS3 MultiplayerPS3 Multiplayer

Continue reading Diablo 3 for consoles may be different, but it's still Diablo

JoystiqDiablo 3 for consoles may be different, but it's still Diablo originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ActivisionActivision-BlizzardBlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentDiablo-3microsoftplaystationps3xboxThu, 13 Jun 2013 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3 on PlayStation will have exclusive Sony-related items]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/10/diablo-3-on-playstation-4-will-have-exclusive-sony-related-items/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/10/diablo-3-on-playstation-4-will-have-exclusive-sony-related-items/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/10/diablo-3-on-playstation-4-will-have-exclusive-sony-related-items/#commentsDiablo 3 on PlayStation 4 will have exclusive Sonyrelated items Sony has announced that Blizzard's release of Diablo 3 on the PlayStation 3 and 4 will boast some exclusive, Sony-related items, including something called Drake's Amulet (named after none other than Uncharted's Nathan Drake).

A few of these items will be available when the game launches on the console, but Sony said more items would be coming in the future.

JoystiqDiablo 3 on PlayStation will have exclusive Sony-related items originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzard-entertainmentcontentDiablo-3e3-2013exclusiveitemsplaystationplaystation-3ps3sonyMon, 10 Jun 2013 22:12:00 EST<![CDATA[Report: Next Blizzard MMO restarts development, pushed until 2016 [update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/28/report-next-blizzard-mmo-restarts-development-pushed-until-201/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/28/report-next-blizzard-mmo-restarts-development-pushed-until-201/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/05/28/report-next-blizzard-mmo-restarts-development-pushed-until-201/#commentsReport Next Blizzard MMO restarts development, not published until 2016 VentureBeat is reporting via "a source familiar with the matter" that Blizzard Entertainment has reset development on its long-rumored post-World of Warcraft MMO, codenamed "Titan." The source says Blizzard had 100 people working on the project, but that number has been reduced to just 30, with those dismissed being put to work on other games. Titan never had an official release date, but VentureBeat claims it won't be ready to publish until 2016 at the earliest.

Joystiq has also gained information on this development, with a source claiming the project "just wasn't up to polish." Stripped down to the core ideas, the game will now restart its process from the ground up.

Blizzard is no stranger to long and laborious development schedules. Diablo 3 famously went through multiple redesigns over ten years of development, and StarCraft Ghost was "postponed" after years of work, then never seen again.

Blizzard is gearing up to release a new digital card game named Hearthstone later this year, and then host a sold-out BlizzCon 2013 in November.

Update: Zam (via Massively) reports Blizzard, when approached, responded with this statement:
"We've always had a highly iterative development process, and the unannounced MMO is no exception. We've come to a point where we need to make some large design and technology changes to the game. We're using this opportunity to shift some of our resources to assist with other projects while the core team adapts our technology and tools to accommodate these new changes. Note that we haven't announced any dates for the MMO."

JoystiqReport: Next Blizzard MMO restarts development, pushed until 2016 [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 28 May 2013 22:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentdevelopmentmmopcreleaserumortitanTue, 28 May 2013 22:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard acquires IGN's Pro League tech, staff]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/blizzard-acquires-ign-pro-league/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/blizzard-acquires-ign-pro-league/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/08/blizzard-acquires-ign-pro-league/#comments Blizzard acquires IGN's pro gaming techBlizzard has purchased the IGN Pro League (IPL) technology and assets from IGN. The developer has also hired members of the IPL staff to create high-quality content in support of Blizzard's eSports. IGN will now go "agnostic" in its competitive gaming coverage, seeking to partner "with multiple organizations" to cover the events.

"This is a team of passionate gamers with a proven track record, and we're looking forward to now leveraging their expertise and technology to support a variety of online efforts," said Itzik Ben-Bassat, Blizzard's EVP of publishing.

The IGN ProLeague 6 event, scheduled for late March, was officially canceled early last month. IGN is currently going through a review of resources following its acquisition by Ziff Davis.

JoystiqBlizzard acquires IGN's Pro League tech, staff originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ActivisionActivision-BlizzardblizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentigniplipl6Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3's missing runestones found at GDC]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/diablo-3s-missing-runestones-found-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/diablo-3s-missing-runestones-found-at-gdc/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/30/diablo-3s-missing-runestones-found-at-gdc/#comments If you've followed Diablo 3's development for a long time, you might remember the idea of Runestones. They were meant to be actual in-game items that could supplement character abilities in various ways, such as adding a fire attack to a melee hit, or doubling the power of a spell for free. When the game arrived last year, the Runestone system was nowhere to be seen, replaced by the controversial Skill Rune system. So where did those Runestones go? Diablo 3's technical designer Wyatt Cheng said during a talk at GDC that they're still around, in one form or another.

The Runestone system was originally created to add flexibility to character skills, and to give players a chance to experiment and play around with new abilities after they had gained them through leveling up. The original idea had ten different effects that could be added to various abilities, including striking, lethality, efficiency, life-stealing, poison, slowing and so on. But ten was too many, Blizzard decided, and they opted to boil them down into five different stone types (Crimson, Obsidian, Indigo, Golden and Alabaster) that would each affect skills in a few different ways.

Cheng said having actual stones in the inventory worked in a few different ways. It gave the system a sense of discovery, as players enjoyed seeing which stones granted certain effects, and it accomplished the original goal of allowing players to experiment with customization. Managing the stones in the game's inventory was a "nightmare," according to Cheng, and player expectations didn't always match what the stones actually provided.

In the end, the team went with the existing Skill Rune system, which allowed Blizzard to give specific skill and stone combinations more "flavorful names," and let the team make sure that the added effects were appropriate for the skills they matched. But Cheng said the effects were still in there: Some runes still slow opponents or add more damage to attacks, and those were the effects originally conferred by the stones of Indigo and Crimson.

JoystiqDiablo 3's missing runestones found at GDC originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentcharacterdesigndesignerdesignersDiablo-3gdcgdc-2013gdc2013pcrunesrunestonesskill-runesskillswyatt-chengSat, 30 Mar 2013 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3 Director Jay Wilson: Auction Houses 'really hurt' game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/diablo-3-director-jay-wilson-auction-houses-really-hurt-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/diablo-3-director-jay-wilson-auction-houses-really-hurt-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/28/diablo-3-director-jay-wilson-auction-houses-really-hurt-game/#comments
Former Diablo 3 Game Director Jay Wilson admitted during a talk at GDC 2013 in San Francisco that both of Diablo 3's Auction Houses (both the real-money and the in-game gold item auction house) "really hurt the game." Wilson said that before Blizzard launched the game, the company had a few assumptions about how the Auction Houses would work: He thought they would help reduce fraud, that they'd provide a wanted service to players, that only a small percentage of players would use it and that the price of items would limit how many were listed and sold.

But he said that once the game went live, Blizzard realized it was completely wrong about those last two points. It turns out that nearly every one of the game's players (of which there are still about 1 million per day, and about 3 million per month, according to Wilson) made use of either house, and that over 50 percent of players used it regularly. That, said Wilson, made money a much higher motivator than the game's original motivation to simply kill Diablo, and "damaged item rewards" in the game. While a lot of the buzz around the game attacked the real money Auction House, "gold does much more damage than the other one does," according to Wilson, because more players use it and prices fluctuate much more.

"I think we would turn it off if we could," Wilson said during his talk. But the problem is "not as easy as that;" with all of Blizzard's current players, he says the company "has no idea" how many players like the system or hate it. Blizzard, Wilson said, doesn't want to remove a feature that lots of players will be unhappy to see go. But he did say that the team is working on a viable solution, without giving any other details about what that would be like.

JoystiqDiablo 3 Director Jay Wilson: Auction Houses 'really hurt' game originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>auction-houseblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3gamegdc-2013jay-wilsonpcreal-money-auction-houseremoveThu, 28 Mar 2013 15:43:00 EST<![CDATA[StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm infects 1.1 million in 48 hours]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/21/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-infects-1-1-million-in-48-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/21/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-infects-1-1-million-in-48-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/21/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-infects-1-1-million-in-48-hours/#comments StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, the second salvo in Blizzard Entertainment's three-pronged sequel to the beloved RTS, has managed to entice 1.1 million gamers in its first 48 hours. The 1.1 million figure accounts for sales across both retail and digital.

Predecessor StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty managed to sell 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first 48 hours. Both can't match Blizzard's launch of Diablo 3 last year, which moved 3.5 million copies in its first 24 hours and helped Activision Blizzard enjoy historical profits in 2012.

JoystiqStarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm infects 1.1 million in 48 hours originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentpcstarcraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmThu, 21 Mar 2013 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm review: Zerg rushing towards resolution]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-review/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/18/starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarm-review/#comments StarCraft 2 Heart of the Swarm review A zerg rush to the heartIn music theory, there's a series of notes called a tritone interval. (I'm a writer and a Rock Band player, not a musician, so bear with me, band members.) The tritone consists of three different whole tones: The first sets the stage, marks the spot on the musical scale that our ear can attune itself to. The second note is actually dissonant - it throws off the harmony, and introduces new elements so distasteful that the chord used to be called "The Devil in Music."

The third tone, however, finishes off the chord in exactly the right way, and brings resolution to all of the dissonance. Leonard Bernstein famously put the tritone to great use in the song "Maria" from West Side Story: "Ma-" is the beginning tone, "-ri-" shakes things up with some disharmony, and "-a" resolves the melody, justifying the lead couple's forbidden love.

Now, using that theory to talk about Blizzard's StarCraft 2 trilogy is a little unfair. The second campaign, Heart of the Swarm, isn't anywhere near "distasteful." But it does introduce plenty of new elements to the series, spinning off the RTS classic into places that Wings of Liberty never dared to go. And like that second note of a tritone, it makes sure to leave plenty of ambiguity and promise out there, making sure we're all ready for the big finale in Legacy of the Void.

Gallery: Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

Continue reading StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm review: Zerg rushing towards resolution

JoystiqStarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm review: Zerg rushing towards resolution originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentfour-starsheart-of-the-swarmkerrigankerrigaynorlegacy-of-the-voidpcreviewstarcraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmMon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Get StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty for $18 on Newegg]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/10/get-starcraft-2-wings-of-liberty-for-18-on-newegg/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/10/get-starcraft-2-wings-of-liberty-for-18-on-newegg/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/03/10/get-starcraft-2-wings-of-liberty-for-18-on-newegg/#comments While Blizzard dropped the price of StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty to $20 on Battle.net until March 12, Newegg managed to top that price with a deal of its own. By entering the code STW311 at checkout, players can snag the game for $17.99 on the retailer's site.

The extra $2 could be put toward the second part of the three-part RTS, StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm, which is scheduled to launch March 12.

JoystiqGet StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty for $18 on Newegg originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentpcsaleStarcraft-2Starcraft-2-Wings-of-LibertySun, 10 Mar 2013 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard announces Diablo 3 coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/blizzard-announces-diablo-3-coming-to-playstation-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/blizzard-announces-diablo-3-coming-to-playstation-4/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/blizzard-announces-diablo-3-coming-to-playstation-4/#comments Blizzard announces Diablo 3 coming to PlayStation 4Blizzard Entertainment's Senior VP of Story and Franchise development Chris Metzen joined Sony during its PlayStation 4 announcement today to say that "Blizzard and Sony have entered into a strategic partnership, through which we will take over the world." The first product of that worldwide takeover will be a console port of Diablo 3, playable on both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation 4.

Metzen said the game is already up and running on the PlayStation 3, and will contain a split-screen mode for local gameplay. "In the coming months, we'll formally debut the game," he added, telling fans to look for more news at PAX East, coming up at the end of next month. "We're very excited about our partnership with Sony and what the future has in store for us," Metzen finished. Diablo 3 is coming to consoles, folks, whether you like it or not.

JoystiqBlizzard announces Diablo 3 coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentconsolediablodiablo-3playstationplaystation-3playstation-4ps3Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:51:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzcon is back in action Nov. 8, 9 in Anaheim]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/19/blizzcon-is-back-in-action-nov-8-9-in-anaheim/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/19/blizzcon-is-back-in-action-nov-8-9-in-anaheim/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/19/blizzcon-is-back-in-action-nov-8-9-in-anaheim/#comments Blizzcon 2013Blizzcon is back with a vengeance this year, scheduled for Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The convention took a vacation last year, making Blizzcon 2013 a super-special occasion.

This year's show will feature all the trappings of previous installments, including panels, tournaments, contests, rare merchandise, demos of the newest Blizzard games and the Global finals of Blizzard esports, all focused on the World of Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo franchises.

There's no word yet on when tickets to Blizzcon 2013 will go on sale, though hotel reservations are live through the Blizzcon portal. Keep in mind that in 2011, tickets to Blizzcon sold out within seconds.

Continue reading Blizzcon is back in action Nov. 8, 9 in Anaheim

JoystiqBlizzcon is back in action Nov. 8, 9 in Anaheim originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentblizzconblizzcon-2013DiablopcstarcraftwarcraftWorld-of-WarcraftTue, 19 Feb 2013 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard's Project Blackstone is a Heart of the Swarm viral campaign]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/07/blizzards-project-blackstone-is-a-heart-of-the-swarm-viral-camp/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/07/blizzards-project-blackstone-is-a-heart-of-the-swarm-viral-camp/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/02/07/blizzards-project-blackstone-is-a-heart-of-the-swarm-viral-camp/#comments Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm teaser site crackedBlizzard Entertainment registered a site called ProjectBlackstone.com late last year, and fans wondered if maybe it might be related to the mysterious upcoming Blizzard project code-named Titan. But no such luck, it seems: The domain went live this week and, soon after that, some crafty Redditors found the password. (It's "Y7_$0>0k_3<$m," if you want to try it yourself). The whole campaign has been revealed as a Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm tie-in.

Opening the site up reveals emails between various Terran characters talking about experimenting on Zerg lifeforms and presumably we'll see updates in the future that will fill out the story heading into the new game. Heart of the Swarm, the second part of the trilogy that Blizzard's Starcraft 2 has become, is due out on March 12.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

JoystiqBlizzard's Project Blackstone is a Heart of the Swarm viral campaign originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Feb 2013 01:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blackstoneblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcampaignheart-of-the-swarmpcproject-blackstonesitestarcraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmviralThu, 07 Feb 2013 01:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mission to evolve StarCraft 2 with 'Heart of the Swarm']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/22/mission-to-evolve-starcraft-2-with-heart-of-the-swarm/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/22/mission-to-evolve-starcraft-2-with-heart-of-the-swarm/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/22/mission-to-evolve-starcraft-2-with-heart-of-the-swarm/#comments Mission to evolve Starcraft 2 for Heart of the SwarmIt was nearly five years ago now that we heard Starcraft 2 wouldn't be one game, but three: The long awaited sequel would become a trilogy, cemented into a three-year release schedule, with each iteration following a new race in the series. Though Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty arrived to critical and commercial acclaim in the summer of 2010, Blizzard is only now making its trilogy concept a reality. Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm is almost done, and set to be released this March.

Blizzard showed off the first three missions of Heart of the Swarm this past week (and the studio has been running multiplayer beta additions and features for quite some time), and from our experience it's becoming clear the second release in this trilogy isn't a simple expansion pack. With the Zerg-focused Heart of the Swarm, the Irvine-based company has crafted something new within the renowned Starcraft tradition; a game intensely focused on the Zerg, their units and abilities, and of course the story of their Queen, Kerrigan.

Gallery: Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

Continue reading Mission to evolve StarCraft 2 with 'Heart of the Swarm'

JoystiqMission to evolve StarCraft 2 with 'Heart of the Swarm' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentdustin-browderkerriganladdermacpcstarcraftstarcraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmTue, 22 Jan 2013 10:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3 'Team Deathmatch' goes back to the drawing board, 'dueling' coming in the new year]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/27/diablo-3-team-deathmatch-goes-back-to-the-drawing-board-duel/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/27/diablo-3-team-deathmatch-goes-back-to-the-drawing-board-duel/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/12/27/diablo-3-team-deathmatch-goes-back-to-the-drawing-board-duel/#comments Diablo 3's Team Deathmatch mode has been a long-promised addition for players of the loot-hunting dungeon crawler since it first launched seven months ago. Though the mode is up and running at Blizzard, a blog post from Blizzard's Jay Wilson says the Player vs. Player-focused mode "isn't yet where we want it to be," and thus won't be released in its current form.

One reason the mode has eluded release is its lack of depth. "Simply fighting each other with no other objectives or choices to make gets old relatively quickly. We've brought a lot of people in to try out Team Deathmatch and, while some found it entertaining, most of our testers didn't feel like it was something they'd want to do beyond a few hours," Wilson wrote. The mode requires more varied objectives and lucrative rewards to compel players to keep playing over time, Diablo 3's lead designer added.

Another issue is class balance in a game designed with Player vs. Environment scenarios in mind. "In a casual PvP mode, something equivalent to a WoW Battleground, this would be fine, but Team Deathmatch felt very hardcore, and it put a laser focus on class balance in a way that we didn't think would be good for the game as a whole." Because of these issues, Blizzard has decided to go "back to the drawing board on a new replacement for Team Deathmatch." Whatever the mode ends up evolving into will indeed be free, Wilson noted.

Wilson adds Blizzard will add "Dueling" soon, due to fan demand. "First and foremost, if our original goal was to support dueling, then we're not achieving that goal very well if we don't actually give players a way to duel in-game," he wrote. Dueling will be added to Diablo 3 in patch 1.0.7., set to arrive after the new year.

JoystiqDiablo 3 'Team Deathmatch' goes back to the drawing board, 'dueling' coming in the new year originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentDiablo-3Jay-WilsonmacpcPVPThu, 27 Dec 2012 15:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard faces class action suit over account authenticators]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/blizzard-faces-class-action-suit-over-account-authenticators/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/blizzard-faces-class-action-suit-over-account-authenticators/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/11/10/blizzard-faces-class-action-suit-over-account-authenticators/#comments Blizzard Entertainment is facing a class action lawsuit over the sale of its Battle.net authenticators, which are used to provide security for player account information for games such as World of Warcraft and Diablo 3. The suit, filed by the law firm Carney Williams Bates Pulliam & Bowman, PLLC in the Central District of California, alleged that the authenticators were needed by players "in order to have even minimal protection for their sensitive personal, private, and financial data." The lawsuit referred to an August security breach in which no financial user data was reported to be stolen.

The class action suit posited that Blizzard practiced "deceptive upselling," in that it allegedly failed "to disclose to consumers that additional products must be acquired after buying the games in order to ensure the security of information stored in online accounts that are requisites for playing."

A Blizzard representative told Forbes that "this suit is without merit and filled with patently false information, and we will vigorously defend ourselves through the appropriate legal channels." The representative said the use of the authenticator tool was optional for players, and offered players "an added level of security against account-theft attempts that stem from sources such as phishing attacks, viruses packaged with seemingly harmless file downloads, and websites embedded with malicious code."

Blizzard's statement continued, "the suit's claim that we didn't properly notify players regarding the August 2012 security breach is not true. Not only did Blizzard act quickly to provide information to the public about the situation, we explained the actions we were taking and let players know how the incident affected them, including the fact that no names, credit card numbers, or other sensitive financial information was disclosed."

Continue reading Blizzard faces class action suit over account authenticators

JoystiqBlizzard faces class action suit over account authenticators originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 10 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accountauthenticatorbattle.netBlizzardBlizzard-Entertainmentbreachclass-actionDiablo-3lawsuitpcsecuritySat, 10 Nov 2012 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[StarCraft 2 beta getting multiplayer XP progression system]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/25/starcraft-2-beta-getting-multiplayer-xp-progression-system/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/25/starcraft-2-beta-getting-multiplayer-xp-progression-system/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/25/starcraft-2-beta-getting-multiplayer-xp-progression-system/#comments StarCraft 2 beta getting multiplayer XP progression systemThe StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm beta is still ongoing, and Blizzard has posted a preview of a new leveling feature coming soon to the game-in-progress.

Blizzard's adding a progression system to the multiplayer mode, in which players will earn experience, on a race-by-race basis, as they play in matchmaking and custom games. Gaining XP for each of the various factions will unlock special portraits and decals for player profiles.

Blizzard has plans for XP bonuses as well, either for specific awards like your first win of the day, or for more general happenings like XP bonus weekends and other special events. The leveling system is being added to the beta in the next patch (and will likely be reset a few times during testing), and will eventually be available in Heart of the Swarm when it's released.

JoystiqStarCraft 2 beta getting multiplayer XP progression system originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betablizzardblizzard-entertainmentmultiplayerpcstarcraft-2starcraft-2-heart-of-the-swarmxpThu, 25 Oct 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3 looted by 'more than 10 million' people]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/02/diablo-3-looted-by-more-than-10-million-people/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/02/diablo-3-looted-by-more-than-10-million-people/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/02/diablo-3-looted-by-more-than-10-million-people/#comments Diablo 3's world of Sanctuary is filled with "more than 10 million" players as of the end of July, according to Activision. The publisher announced as much this afternoon in a quarterly earnings statement, dubbing it the "best-selling PC game for the first six months of 2012." Of note, at least 3.5 million of those copies were sold in the first 24 hours alone. Not too shabby!

During a followup conference call, Acti reps noted that approximately 1.2 million of those sales were through the WoW Annual Pass.

Blizzard's assuredly hoping for a repeat of that in the latter half of 2012 with its World of Warcraft expansion Mists of Pandaria. But hey, competing with yourself for the number one spot sounds like one of those "good problems," if you know what we're saying.

JoystiqDiablo 3 looted by 'more than 10 million' people originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 16:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionblizzardblizzard-entertainmentmacpcsalesThu, 02 Aug 2012 16:54:00 EST<![CDATA[Recent Diablo 3 hotfixes address exploits, high-level item drop rates]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/recent-diablo-3-hotfixes-address-exploits-high-level-item-drop/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/recent-diablo-3-hotfixes-address-exploits-high-level-item-drop/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/recent-diablo-3-hotfixes-address-exploits-high-level-item-drop/#comments Blizzard Entertainment has been keeping busy, tweaking a number of aspects of its best-selling loot-hunting game, Diablo 3.

One of the hotfixes released today addresses an exploit used to circumvent the recent decreases in attack speed. Before the hotfix, players could "temporarily increase their attack speed or double-cast a skill" by repeatedly clicking the Town Portal option within the hot bar. A complete list of fixes can be found on the official game blog.

In changes made yesterday, Blizzard once again increased high-level item drops in Acts III and IV of Hell difficulty and all four acts in Inferno. The breakdown of increases can be found after the break. Not found after the break: those hundred hours you've spent clicking through Sanctuary.

Continue reading Recent Diablo 3 hotfixes address exploits, high-level item drop rates

JoystiqRecent Diablo 3 hotfixes address exploits, high-level item drop rates originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentDiablo-3hotfixmacpatchpcFri, 29 Jun 2012 21:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The Art of Blizzard book celebrates ... well, you know]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/the-art-of-blizzard-book-celebrates-well-you-know/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/the-art-of-blizzard-book-celebrates-well-you-know/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/29/the-art-of-blizzard-book-celebrates-well-you-know/#comments 'The Art of Blizzard' sounds like something you should get if you're way into Blizzard
Blizzard Entertainment has announced an upcoming book called The Art of Blizzard, featuring over 700 pages of forum posts whining about Diablo 3 being down.

No, just kidding, it's about the art of Blizzard and its franchises (including some unpublished titles). Mixed in among 700 pieces of visual art used in the games' development is commentary from Blizzard's Vice President of Art and Cinematic Development Nick Carpenter, Senior Art Director Sam Didier, and Senior Story VP Chris Metzen.

The book is available for pre-order right now, and should be out later on this year. The retail price is $75.00, but as you can see on Amazon it's currently selling for less.

JoystiqThe Art of Blizzard book celebrates ... well, you know originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 03:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>artblizzard-entertainmentchris-metzenpcsam-didierFri, 29 Jun 2012 03:55:00 EST<![CDATA[PSA: Buy Diablo 3 online, wait up to three days to fully unlock]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/21/psa-buy-diablo-3-online-wait-up-to-three-days-to-fully-unlock/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/21/psa-buy-diablo-3-online-wait-up-to-three-days-to-fully-unlock/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/21/psa-buy-diablo-3-online-wait-up-to-three-days-to-fully-unlock/#comments A quirky addition to Diablo 3's patch 1.0.3 is the purchase of a digital copy of the game will restrict players to the Starter Edition for "the first 72 hours (sometimes less)." This means legitimate customers can only play Act 1 up to the Skeleton King, are capped at level 13 and can only interact with other Starter Edition players.

We could easily speculate why Blizzard would put such precautions in place, but it doesn't ease our concerns about hostile actions against legitimate customers. Oh, also, given the wording on the post, this is a feature, not a bug.

Take this to mean if you're looking to impulsively marathon Diablo 3 over some upcoming free time, you'll need to pick up the game from retail or overnight a boxed copy.

JoystiqPSA: Buy Diablo 3 online, wait up to three days to fully unlock originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Jun 2012 12:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Activision-BlizzardBlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentDiablo-3macpcThu, 21 Jun 2012 12:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3 servers back online, 1.0.3 patch makes significant changes [Update]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/19/diablo-3-servers-back-online-1-0-3-patch-makes-significant-chan/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/19/diablo-3-servers-back-online-1-0-3-patch-makes-significant-chan/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/19/diablo-3-servers-back-online-1-0-3-patch-makes-significant-chan/#comments Diablo 3's servers have come back online earlier than expected, bringing big changes to the game with patch 1.0.3, as promised. Primarily in response to player concerns, many of the changes tweak high-level item drops, reevaluate Inferno difficulty, and make drastic reductions to crafting and training Artisans.

Players who have unlocked the "Inferno" difficulty will be more impacted by today's sizable update. According to the patch notes (after the break), difficulty in Acts 2-4 have been reduced to be more in line with Act 1 - which is no slouch.

Repair costs have also seen a substantial increase for level 60 players/gear, making death a costly scenario and killing our hopes of grinding out Whimsyshire pony runs for top-end gear. One welcome change is tweaks to champion packs and their loot drops; guaranteeing rare drops in some cases (specifically when defeated under five stacks of Nephalem Valor).

Currently, the auction house feature is offline. Joystiq has contacted Blizzard to find out when it will become active again, but has yet to hear back at the time of publishing.

If you're not familiar with Diablo, then this might help explain how the game works: click, click, click, click, click.

Update: The Auction House is back online.

Gallery: Diablo 3 (10/21/11)

Continue reading Diablo 3 servers back online, 1.0.3 patch makes significant changes [Update]

JoystiqDiablo 3 servers back online, 1.0.3 patch makes significant changes [Update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Jun 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentDiablo-3macpatch-1.0.3pcTue, 19 Jun 2012 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard's banhammer visiting Diablo 3 cheaters in 'near future']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/11/blizzards-banhammer-visiting-diablo-3-cheaters-in-near-future/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/11/blizzards-banhammer-visiting-diablo-3-cheaters-in-near-future/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/11/blizzards-banhammer-visiting-diablo-3-cheaters-in-near-future/#comments Blizzard to drop Diablo 3 banhammer soonHave you used any "hacks, bots, or modifications in any form" that would violate Diablo 3's instinctual scroll wheel-friendly end user license agreement? Well, don't come crying to us when the company drops the banhammer.

"Playing Diablo 3 legitimately means playing with an unaltered game client," Blizzard warned today. "Suspensions and bans of players that have used or start using cheats and hacks will begin in the near future."

The permaban from Battle.net means players will not be able to access their account for Blizzard's single-player, online-required game. Perhaps Blizzard would be so kind as to allow purchase of an unbanning from the real-money auction house?

JoystiqBlizzard's banhammer visiting Diablo 3 cheaters in 'near future' originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Activision-BlizzardbanhammerbansBlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentDiablo-3pcMon, 11 Jun 2012 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Exploring the patterns of Diablo 3]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/24/exploring-the-patterns-of-diablo-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/24/exploring-the-patterns-of-diablo-3/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/24/exploring-the-patterns-of-diablo-3/#comments ImageAfter thirty hours of incessantly clicking my mouse, I completed my first run of Diablo 3. Of course, the game could have been finished in far less time - I was constantly going back to explore every area to the fullest. Any dark space on my map, signaling an area I didn't explore, gnawed at my obsessive completionist attitude.

But it had me wondering: I know how long it took to get to my final destination and I'm well aware of the spoils obtained along the way, but what had I actually done in those hours? Strip away everything about a game and you may see a simple series of patterns. So when you take the game systems, graphics, and progress out of the equation, what does the pattern of playing Diablo 3 look like and is it ever different?

Gallery: Exploring Patterns in Diablo 3

Continue reading Exploring the patterns of Diablo 3

JoystiqExploring the patterns of Diablo 3 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 May 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentDiablo-3macpatternspcstatisticsThu, 24 May 2012 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[3.5 million people bought Diablo 3 in the first 24 hours]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/23/3-5-million-people-bought-diablo-3-in-the-first-24-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/23/3-5-million-people-bought-diablo-3-in-the-first-24-hours/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/23/3-5-million-people-bought-diablo-3-in-the-first-24-hours/#comments It's true - the world is big into Diablo 3. So much so that the game was purchased more than 3.5 million times in its first 24 hours available, making it the "fastest-selling PC game" of all time, according to Blizzard. On top of that 3.5 million, another 1.2 million copies were scooped via the WoW Annual Pass (which included a free copy of D3).

Blizzard's wording on this claim is especially interesting, pointing out that "more than 4.7 million gamers around the world were poised to storm Sanctuary on day 1 of Diablo 3's release." Blizzard CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime addresses the Diablo-sized elephant in the room soon after, saying, "We also regret that our preparations were not enough to ensure everyone had a seamless experience when they did so. I want to reaffirm our commitment to make sure the millions of Diablo III players out there have a great experience with the game moving forward, and I also want to thank them for their ongoing support."

Beyond the day-one sales, Blizzard revealed that by the end of its first week on sale, more than 6.3 million copies were in the hands of gamers worldwide. That guy Diablo is getting beat up by, like, a lot of people.

Joystiq3.5 million people bought Diablo 3 in the first 24 hours originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 23 May 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3mike-morhaimesalesWed, 23 May 2012 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard's refresher course in Diablo's murderous history]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blizzards-refresher-course-in-diablos-murderous-history/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blizzards-refresher-course-in-diablos-murderous-history/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blizzards-refresher-course-in-diablos-murderous-history/#comments
What's all this "Diablo" hubbub today, you wonder? Well, you see, "Diablo" is another name for "Devil" (Spanish!) and you're this monk/warrior/witch doctor/wizard/demon hunter who's gotta kill thousands of demons to get to the main bad demon dude and ... okay, Blizzard does a much better job laying it all out.

JoystiqBlizzard's refresher course in Diablo's murderous history originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3gameplaymacpctrailerTue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard offering refunds for AU Diablo 3 pre-orders unserved by GAME]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blizzard-offering-refunds-for-au-diablo-3-pre-orders-unserved-by/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blizzard-offering-refunds-for-au-diablo-3-pre-orders-unserved-by/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/15/blizzard-offering-refunds-for-au-diablo-3-pre-orders-unserved-by/#comments Just because you're far away from Blizzard, Australia, doesn't mean that the publisher doesn't love you. Case in point: after hearing about the issue with Australia's GAME retail chain and how that could affect Diablo 3 pre-orders (it would effectively cancel them without refund), Blizzard took to action.

On its forums, Blizzard reps explained how Australians affected by the issue could submit their receipt for a GAME Diablo 3 pre-order (purchased before May 15, 2012) directly to Blizzard for a refund. That "refund" only goes through after you've purchased the game directly from the official Diablo 3 site, as Blizzard's handling refunds via whatever payment method was used for the pre-order. In so many words, after paying for the game twice, Blizzard will refund your original pre-order expenditure with GAME.

Blizzard doesn't list the final instruction, perhaps out of kindness, which is to send a sharply worded letter to GAME's Australian reps. More details on how to submit your pre-order receipt to Blizzard will be posted "as soon as possible."

JoystiqBlizzard offering refunds for AU Diablo 3 pre-orders unserved by GAME originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 May 2012 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardaustraliablizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3gamemacpcTue, 15 May 2012 12:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3 cartoon, care of Blizzard and Titmouse]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/diablo-3-cartoon-care-of-blizzard-and-titmouse/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/diablo-3-cartoon-care-of-blizzard-and-titmouse/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/08/diablo-3-cartoon-care-of-blizzard-and-titmouse/#comments Image
Thought this would be a post about the Diablo 3 cartoon short by Titmouse, and not the video itself, didn't you? Fooled again! The full, very impressive cartoon is just above. Enjoy.

JoystiqDiablo 3 cartoon, care of Blizzard and Titmouse originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 08 May 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentcartoonDiablo-3macpctitmouseTue, 08 May 2012 17:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Truth, honor, and fireballs: Meet Diablo 3's Witch Doctor]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/truth-honor-and-fireballs-meet-diablo-3s-witch-doctor/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/truth-honor-and-fireballs-meet-diablo-3s-witch-doctor/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/24/truth-honor-and-fireballs-meet-diablo-3s-witch-doctor/#comments Image
When he's not busy rebelling against corrupt religious leaders, he's slaying the demons that threaten Sanctuary. He's your friend, he's mine - he's Diablo 3's Witch Doctor class. And here he is, throwing fireballs and stuff.

JoystiqTruth, honor, and fireballs: Meet Diablo 3's Witch Doctor originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3gameplaymacpcwitch-doctorTue, 24 Apr 2012 11:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3's monk isn't above flipping out and killing everything]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/diablo-3s-monk-isnt-above-flipping-out-and-killing-everything/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/diablo-3s-monk-isnt-above-flipping-out-and-killing-everything/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/17/diablo-3s-monk-isnt-above-flipping-out-and-killing-everything/#comments Image
You may hear the word "monk" and think "pacifist," but Blizzard Entertainment apparently thinks "brutal destroyer of all things." The latest class video for Diablo 3 delves into the company's twisted conflation of monks and David Carradine's character on Kung Fu.

JoystiqDiablo 3's monk isn't above flipping out and killing everything originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3gameplaymacmonkpcTue, 17 Apr 2012 09:30:00 EST<![CDATA[The fears and hopes of Blizzard devs as Diablo 3 enters alpha]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/the-fears-and-hopes-of-blizzard-devs-as-diablo-3-enters-alpha/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/the-fears-and-hopes-of-blizzard-devs-as-diablo-3-enters-alpha/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/16/the-fears-and-hopes-of-blizzard-devs-as-diablo-3-enters-alpha/#comments Image
Oh, you wanted new Diablo 3 gameplay? Sorry to tell you, but we've got three Blizzard project leads discussing their hopes and dreams for the game in the latest dev diary instead. Perhaps knowing that these folks are killing themselves to create Diablo 3 will help soothe your searing rage.

JoystiqThe fears and hopes of Blizzard devs as Diablo 3 enters alpha originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 16 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardblizzardblizzard-entertainmentdev-diaryDiablo-3macpcMon, 16 Apr 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3 trailer tells the tale of the Barbarian]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/diablo-3-trailer-tells-the-tale-of-the-barbarian/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/diablo-3-trailer-tells-the-tale-of-the-barbarian/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/diablo-3-trailer-tells-the-tale-of-the-barbarian/#comments Image
The thing about barbarians is they like to kill stuff. After the events of Diablo 2, the group has scattered and lost its will to fight. But with Diablo's return, one barbarian has found it's never been a better time to have a dry blade. Good hunting!

JoystiqDiablo 3 trailer tells the tale of the Barbarian originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionbarbarianblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3gameplaymacpctrailerWed, 11 Apr 2012 08:35:00 EST<![CDATA[Mists of Pandaria part to reveal ... so many trailers]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-part-to-reveal-so-many-trailers/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-part-to-reveal-so-many-trailers/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-part-to-reveal-so-many-trailers/#comments
The pandas are coming, the pandas are coming! More precisely, it's the Pandaren, and whether or not you feel this is Blizzard nuking the fridge on its stalwart cash-Tauren, there's no denying it's the cutest expansion to be bestowed upon the warriors of Azeroth.

Blizzard took us to the land of kung fu pandas to check out more details about the game, but here are several trailers of the terrain we'll explore when the expansion arrives.

Gallery: World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (3/18/12)

Continue reading Mists of Pandaria part to reveal ... so many trailers

JoystiqMists of Pandaria part to reveal ... so many trailers originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentmacpcWorld-of-Warcraftworld-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandariaMon, 19 Mar 2012 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mists of Pandaria tries to breathe new life into an old World of Warcraft]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-tries-to-breath-new-life-into-an-old-world-of/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-tries-to-breath-new-life-into-an-old-world-of/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/19/mists-of-pandaria-tries-to-breath-new-life-into-an-old-world-of/#comments Video games these days have a shorter shelf life than ever before. Titles fall out of the top ten within days or weeks (if they ever get there at all), there are awesome new releases arriving every month or so, and even the biggest games are on a yearly (if that) sequel schedule at this point. And yet World of Warcraft has remained a constant. Blizzard's MMO has held millions of players in sway for over half a decade, and those players have killed countless boars, cleared out endless quests, dungeons, and raids, and have vanquished not one but three world-threatening expansion bosses, in the forms of Illidan Stormrage, Arthas the Lich King, and Deathwing and his Cataclysm.

So Blizzard is perhaps taking on its hardest task ever with the upcoming Mists of Pandaria expansion. There's no question in the halls of the (recently quieter) Blizzard campus in Irvine, California that the game is at a crossroads of sorts. Blizzard's formula for WoW expansions (define a baddie, and lead a player to gear and level up to the final fight) has worked so far, but it's almost as if the company realizes that the old tricks are getting old.

Blizzard needs, then, to take World of Warcraft, one of history's most-played, most-traversed, and most-conquered games, and make it feel new. "This is definitely different fare from any expansion we've tried so far," VP of Creative Development Chris Metzen said in a presentation to assembled press. He then talked about the game on a much longer scale than a few weeks, a few months, or even a Call of Duty-length year. "The big global threat that's coming, to define the next couple years of WoW's gameplay, is really war itself."

Gallery: World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (3/18/12)

Continue reading Mists of Pandaria tries to breathe new life into an old World of Warcraft

JoystiqMists of Pandaria tries to breathe new life into an old World of Warcraft originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 19 Mar 2012 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentchris-metzenexpansionghostcrawlergreg-streetinterviewj-allen-brackpandapandarenpcscott-mercertalentsupdatewarwarcraftworld-of-warcraftworld-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandariaMon, 19 Mar 2012 03:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Diablo 3's biggest, baddest demon from sketch to final]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/diablo-3s-biggest-baddest-demon-from-sketch-to-final/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/diablo-3s-biggest-baddest-demon-from-sketch-to-final/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/09/diablo-3s-biggest-baddest-demon-from-sketch-to-final/#comments Like the previous Diablo titles from Blizzard, there's totally a giant main boss named "Diablo" in Diablo 3. Surprise! And during Diablo 3 art director Christian Lichtner's GDC 2012 track keynote, attendees were offered a look at the main baddie across his entire evolution. Second surprise: he looks terrifying!

Continue reading Diablo 3's biggest, baddest demon from sketch to final

JoystiqDiablo 3's biggest, baddest demon from sketch to final originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentdemondemonsDiablo-3gdcgdc-2012macpcthe-devilFri, 09 Mar 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Monopoly: World of Warcraft, Risk: StarCraft available this year]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/monopoly-world-of-warcraft-risk-starcraft-available-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/monopoly-world-of-warcraft-risk-starcraft-available-this-year/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/monopoly-world-of-warcraft-risk-starcraft-available-this-year/#comments For years, WoW had a monopoly on the MMO market, so why not celebrate that with a board game? Blizzard Entertainment and USAopoly will launch Monopoly: World of Warcraft and Risk: StarCraft before year's end. A Facebook vote will determine what tokens make it into the final version of the Azeroth real estate simulator, which will retail for $39.95 "in specialty stores across North America."

Risk: Starcraft will include 290 custom playing pieces, featuring the Terran, Protoss and Zerg factions, along with six unique heroes. It rushes into specialty stores in North America this summer for $49.45.

For those looking to diversify their Risk portfolio, there are also Metal Gear Solid and Halo adaptations of the game about global conquest. Sadly, the best Monopoly jobs we've seen over the years are custom one-off crafts honoring Mass Effect and Fallout.

Continue reading Monopoly: World of Warcraft, Risk: StarCraft available this year

JoystiqMonopoly: World of Warcraft, Risk: StarCraft available this year originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>BlizzardBlizzard-EntertainmentMonopoly-World-of-WarcraftpcRiskRisk-StarCraftStarCraftusaopolyWorld-of-WarcraftWoWTue, 14 Feb 2012 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard has 4,700 employees across 11 cities]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/blizzard-has-4-700-employees-across-11-cities/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/blizzard-has-4-700-employees-across-11-cities/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/13/blizzard-has-4-700-employees-across-11-cities/#comments Blizzard Entertainment is kind of a big deal -- you already knew that. But did you know that the studio is such a big deal that it spans "4,700 employees across 11 cities?" That's a lot of people! And while many of said employees are saddled with customer support roles, a whopping 750 are assigned to product development, which spans WoW, StarCraft, Diablo, and the still-unannounced "Project Titan" MMO (not to mention anything else Blizzard has cooking behind-the-scenes).

Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce discussed the astounding statistic during a panel at DICE last week, using the numbers to put context behind his company's lack of preparedness when launching World of Warcraft way back in aught four. "I don't think we had any idea what we were getting ourselves into," Pearce admitted, as reported by industry trade site Gamasutra. "We had to stop shipping boxes to stores." Resultantly, the company now makes "more aggressive" predictions for its various launches, and has its many hundreds of support employees at the ready for said launches.

JoystiqBlizzard has 4,700 employees across 11 cities originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blizzardblizzard-entertainmentdicedice-2012frank-pearceMon, 13 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Best Buy thinks Diablo 3 is coming out on February 1, 2012 [updated]]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/07/best-buy-thinks-diablo-3-is-coming-out-on-february-1-2012/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/07/best-buy-thinks-diablo-3-is-coming-out-on-february-1-2012/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/07/best-buy-thinks-diablo-3-is-coming-out-on-february-1-2012/#comments Best Buy apparently believes Diablo 3 isn't far off from launch in North America, as a Rochester, Minnesota-based Twitter user spotted a display for the game in a local Best Buy store showing a February 1 launch for the game alongside a countdown timer. The image was subsequently picked up and pushed to Twitter, where we first saw it. Bizarrely, the tweet has since been pulled, but we snagged the image (addressed to former Joystiq previews editor Arthur Gies -- thanks Arthur!) and tracked down the Best Buy to confirm its existence.

A store employee politely assured Joystiq of the endcap's existence and noted the February 1 launch date, which will coincide with a midnight opening (at least at her location). We've reached out to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision for comment, but, well, this looks pretty legit. Oh, and it also doesn't hurt that Best Buy's web store is showing a February 1 launch date for the game.

The last official word we heard from Blizzard ("early 2012") was in September 2011, after the game was delayed beyond its original 2011 launch window. When we checked back up with the company during BlizzCon back in October, we were told nothing more solid was ready to be announced in terms of a launch date.

Update: UK retailer Gameplay is showing a February 3, 2012 release date for the game, adding more fuel to the fire. Thanks to Twitter user @JKeverne for the tip!

Update 2: This piece originally credited the photo to a Canadian Twitter user, which is accurate as to its origin with us, but not accurate to the credit of the photographer. Rochester, Minnesota Chatty Pics user "sasquatchxing" tells us that he took the photo (as well as a second) and uploaded them to image service Chatty Pics before taking to the Shacknews forums.

Update 3: It gets more interesting! When we called the Rochester, Minnesota Best Buy this morning, a manager explained that the sign has been taken down as a directive from the store's "GM" (general manager), not because the manufacturer had asked but because the manufacturer has been "not very firm" in picking a launch date. As many had guessed (per the misspelling of "February," among other things), the signage was made in-house and not sent by Blizzard. If you happen to spot any similar signage in your local big box retailer, don't hesitate to contact us!

Update 4: Blizzard community manager Micah "Bashiok" Whipple has responded on Twitter (though not to us), where he said both "The word is lol" and "We can't really keep every individual retail shop from making up a date," as well as "Retailers will not know a date until it's officially announced through a press release," in response to questions from followers. We're still waiting on official response from Blizzard.

Continue reading Best Buy thinks Diablo 3 is coming out on February 1, 2012 [updated]

JoystiqBest Buy thinks Diablo 3 is coming out on February 1, 2012 [updated] originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 07 Jan 2012 20:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisionactivision-blizzardbest-buyblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3macpcq1-2012release-dateSat, 07 Jan 2012 20:22:00 EST<![CDATA[Remember Diablo with new 15 year anniversary website]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/05/remember-diablo-with-new-15-year-anniversary-website/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/05/remember-diablo-with-new-15-year-anniversary-website/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/05/remember-diablo-with-new-15-year-anniversary-website/#comments Stay a while and ... you know the rest In celebration of fifteen years of Diablo -- the original came out all the way back in 1996 (!) -- Blizzard has launched a special anniversary website. The site has all kinds of Diablo-related content, from a timeline of the entire series, cutscenes from Diablo 2, video interviews and a lengthy video retrospective.

Of particular interest is an interview with Diablo 3 director Jay Wilson, who states, "We're almost done with Diablo 3 and that's a fitting celebration of the 15 year anniversary." He adds, "We'll get it to you as soon as we can." In related news, 2014 is going to be one hell of a year.

JoystiqRemember Diablo with new 15 year anniversary website originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>15th-anniversaryanniversaryblizzardblizzard-entertainmentdiabloDiablo-3jay-wilsonmacpcThu, 05 Jan 2012 21:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Blizzard brings Balance and Battletags to Battle.net]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/blizzard-brings-balance-and-battletags-to-battle-net/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/blizzard-brings-balance-and-battletags-to-battle-net/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/16/blizzard-brings-balance-and-battletags-to-battle-net/#comments Blizzard Entertainment has been steadily updating the Battle.net online multiplayer service recently, presumably in anticipation of Diablo 3's release next year. Last week, the company introduced what it's calling the Battle.net Balance, a currency total stored on its servers that players can use to pay for Blizzard items -- from a World of Warcraft subscription to in-game items and plushies in the company store. This is where funds not translated directly into cash will go from the real money auction house in Diablo 3, whenever it arrives.

Today, Blizzard introduced the BattleTag system, which is a specific public username that will identify players publicly on Battle.net services (similar to Xbox Live's Gamertag name). This is likely the compromise Blizzard came up with over its controversial Real ID service, which was originally meant to utilize real player names.

BattleTags are not unique, but players will have a number in their public profiles that will let you identify just which "touchFuzzygetDizzy" you're talking to. BattleTags will appear first in the Diablo 3 beta, and get used in all of Blizzard's games and services sometime after that.

JoystiqBlizzard brings Balance and Battletags to Battle.net originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battle-netbattle-net-battletagbattletagblizzardblizzard-entertainmentDiablo-3pcreal-idreal-moneystarcraft-2world-of-warcraftFri, 16 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria sets a new direction for Blizzard's first MMO]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/world-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandaria-sets-a-new-direction-for-bl/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/world-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandaria-sets-a-new-direction-for-bl/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/25/world-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandaria-sets-a-new-direction-for-bl/#comments Blizzard has made the next expansion in the World of Warcraft official as Mists of Pandaria, and after conquering other planets, the Lich King, and a big bad dragon, the Horde and Alliance are headed to ... China. Well, not China per se, but Pandaria, a long-rumored, Eastern mysticism-influenced realm, where panda-based humanoids roam, brew and drink beer, and offer players the next five levels in their continuing progression.

As is often the case with this game, many players have revolted. The Pandaren have long been used as a joke in the world of Warcraft, either referred to on April Fool's Day, or showing up in the company's parodic Christmas cards. But lead quest designer Dave Kosak says players who scoff at Pandaria should think twice. "Maybe people, because they've only been portrayed as cameos or only April Fool's jokes, people think that there's nothing to this race, and that's not it at all," Kozak says to us during BlizzCon last week. "I think the Pandaren are kind of fascinating -- they work hard, they play hard, they eat hard, they drink hard, and they don't do anything half way."

The Pandaren, in addition to some of the other announced features of the new expansion, point to the next long arc of the World of Warcraft game. In the first few expansions of the title, Blizzard has cashed in on the earlier origins of the series. But with Mists of Pandaria, Blizzard seems to be setting up the world's most popular MMO for years of content to come.

Gallery: World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria (10/21/11)

Continue reading World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria sets a new direction for Blizzard's first MMO

JoystiqWorld of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria sets a new direction for Blizzard's first MMO originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activision-blizzardallianceblizzardblizzard-entertainmentblizzcon-2011dave-kozakhordelead-quest-designerpandarenpandariapcworld-of-warcraftworld-of-warcraft-mists-of-pandariawowTue, 25 Oct 2011 14:14:00 EST