This morning, Activision and Blizzard cracked the OJ for an AM conference call to investors (and of course, interested gaming media). It was a bit too early for our weekend hangovers to stand, but luckily MTV's Stephen Totilo wrote an extensive account of the meeting. Here are the highlights aside from rumors of Dark Elf McMuffin ingestion:
• WoW is not coming to consoles.
• But if a Blizzard title were to come to consoles, Blizzard would manage it.
• Actiblizzard will have 15% of worldwide gaming market and 6000 employees.
• Blizzard announced their revenue for the year: $1.1 billion. Reports suggest that upon the announcement, Activision quickly moved a nearby file over their crotch.
Activision Blizzard Update [MTVmultiplayer] [image]









Comments
Where's the question for $500....I'm desperate!!!
1.1 billion? Can I have them pay me $15 a month?
@Jman1980: NO! Really?!
@Jman1980: It's coming...have some patience, read the articles, and contribute with intelligent comments.
I wonder why they seem so adamant that WoW will not come to home consoles. Wouldn't that just be more money to line the pockets of their gold vests?
I think we can thank the good lord himself WoW is NOT coming to consoles....when I read that i pulled the same "puts file over crotch" move cause that is great stuff.
@Jman1980: Patience, its coming. I am just as anxious as you are.
I think wow will still come to consoles. More now than ever. I just think it will be a different version of it. Not the same as the pc versions.
@Jman1980: Seriously.. Relax.. your spam about asking for the question won't make Brian post it any quicker.
@sir_blazeAlot: Same here. It was bad enough when I was tethered to the computer playing it. I couldn't imagine what it's would be like if I could sit in the recliner and play.
@Jman1980:
At this point, I'm honestly hoping you get banned before the question is posted. Seriously, stop spamming.
Sweet, another big, totally risk averse publishing company. So this leaves what, like 4 major western publishers now? Good for stocks!! (esp with the Blizzard name) Bad for games.
Blizzard doesn't like to make Console games since the dev cycle is too short. Won't change.
Are WoW subs on the decline? My bet is when the base starts to dwindle, they'll get a console version out lickity-split.
I'd be more inclined to try a console version, have never been able to get into PC gaming.
Blizzavision? Actiblizzard?
Why not shorten it, you know? Actard? Blizzion?
@Peaugh: Yeah, mainly I meant I am glad I won't have to hear my fellow PS3 buddies getting into this - never really got into those WoW games muhself as they looked just a tad bit ridiculous.
@ChickenOfTheSea: We've already settled on Tough Actin Blizzactin.
@Jman1980: I pray for your failure.
@sir_blazeAlot: Yeah, I was pretty big into it a while back, and I', not even that big of a fan of playing on a PC, but we dropped our sub a while back and haven't looked back. On a console though? If they made it cross platform with the PC version, you'd have to shoot me to keep me from getting
sucked back in.
@radink:
Aside from Final Fantasy XI, which was built for that, I don't think making a seperate version of an MMO just for consoles is a good, or potentially successful, idea. Everquest tried it, and it tanked.
It'll sell, like movie tie in games, but the overall end products would surely lack the quality experience (laugh all you want) that wrfcraft has come to represent and offer.
@Peaugh:
Here's a deterring thought, you have to pay for Xbox Gold service, AND the wow subscription. At least I'd assume so (based on my own evidence which is based on nothing)
@WasabiJoestar: Possibly not. Blizzard might be able to talk Microsoft into cutting them some cash for putting their game on the Xbox 360. Either that or it could just be ported to the PS3.
WTB Keyboard/Mouse support for 360! /sadface
if anything, this gives EA a serious rival.
While I am not a fan of these huge company mergers, Activision and Blizzard are both two of the 'do not evil' companies out there.. if any two could merge together and not sell out. I'd say these two are front runners (especially now since bio ware has been snatched up)
@ChickenOfTheSea: Blactivision.
The obvious name is BLIZZAC
C'mon Actiblizzvision, the time is right for a Lost Vikings sequel!! Or maybe a little Rock 'N Roll Racing? Blackthorne? Throw the non-WoW crowd a bone here!
Why would *Activision* be excited about Blizzard's revenue? It wasn't Activision that bought Vivendi(Blizzard,Sierra), it was Vivendi who bought Activision.
@Dreamwriter:
They would be excited because they're the same company now and like to make money?
-reiteration for people who dont get the merger.
Vivendi owns Vivendi Games has division Blizzard
after:
Vivendi owns Activision Blizzard has division Blizzard.
Blizzactiwow?
Blactivision? Wow. That's almost racist.
What about ActiBLIZZion?
@FeendRendor:
@WasabiJoestar:
If it works like every other MMO on the 360, then no, you wont have to pay for a Gold account. Both Final Fantasy XI and Phantasy Star Universe do not require Gold accounts to play.
And another thing, Everquest Adventures tanked because the game was crap. It was nothing like Everquest for the PC. About the only thing they shared was similar naming conventions, and how hard is that, honestly? FFXI is the exact same game with the exact same people in it regardless of which system you ultimately choose to play it on.
The only real negative to putting an MMO on a console is that you become tied to the hardware. There are a lot of features FFXI would love to implement and change but they can't, simply because of PS2 hardware. The amount of internal memory just cannot handle it. Now the 360 and PS3 are different beasts so it would take more time to max out the hardware for their client platform, but you know it would happen. Memory is the biggest issue when it comes to consoles. It is close enough to say the 360 and PS3 both have 512MB, but compared to a PC with 2+GB, it becomes miniscule. (The Wii is dead out, with a whopping 88MB)
@ChickenOfTheSea: Actard FTW, definitely!
Also, where's my Starcraft 2 news?! C'mon, Blizzard!!
If you are asking for keyboard/mouse support for your console so they can bring a pc game to it, why don't you just play the game on your PC?
WoW on consoles would not work, they'd have to change the game entirely. I could see it working it they made it more diablo like, where you only had a two mouse clicks and you could use another button to cycle between attacks and two others for potions.
I am also extremely happy they do not want to come to consoles, did everyone else not play the debacle that was Starcraft 64?
Really, I'm just happy Blizzavision got top billing, even if that's not my spelling.
In a slightly more constructive vein, could our darling new haemonculus please, PLEASE finish Ghost now?
@Peaugh: daaaaamn, if they were to integrate a cross platform feature I would be tempted to check it out...and like one said with the xbox online fees, that's why the PS3 just shines a bit brighter in that respect...I laugh at the people forking money out for that....
"Actard" as my friend calls it...
Now how about resurrecting Ghost Actiblizzard?
Ah, it's gonna be so weird seeing the Activision trademark logo with Blizzards' when I boot up Starcraft 2 in the future. I just hope they don't do any changes that will hinder anything "Blizzardy." Every game Blizzard has made has been a hit for me.
The end of gaming will be here when you see a Gnome rocking out in Guitar Hero.
You know, when I bought Warcraft for the PC all those years ago, I never thought Blizzard would end up where it was today. Warcraft was nothing more than a Dune II rip-off to me, with orcs and humans instead of Atreides and Harkonnen. Now they're a billion-dollar company, and Warcraft is one of the most valuable gaming IPs you can find out there. JESUS.
Sweet, I can't wait to see the easter eggs in SC2.
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