Posted on 2006 under General |
31
Aug
A new article has been posted up on The Guardian website today entitled WoW, the WOW: world’s biggest game is about to get bigger which is another interview with Blizzard business guy Paul Sams. The article talks about the success of WoW, the people playing the game and looks ahead to the BC. Here’s a snip:
TG: Anecdotal evidence suggests WoW players play little else. Is WoW killing the PC games market?
PS: Big question! For years we’ve been reading how the PC games market is dying or is dead, killed by this or that generation of consoles. I’m here to tell you that PC gaming is not dead and it is not going to die. And rather than killing the market, I think WoW is showing the industry that the PC games market is more viable than ever.
Posted on 2006 under General |
31
Aug
Well you shouldn’t anymore, according to Blizzard-ite Ogre:
The lag spikes that players have complained about on many realms since the launch of 1.12 are fixed. There are restarts scheduled for late tonight for all realms that do not yet have this fix. I understand this has been frustrating for all of you. It’s been frustrating for me too. I’ve worked on little else this past week.
The realms that had hardware upgrades this morning already have the fix for this issue in place, in addition to their new hardware. As far as I can tell, and I have been watching closely, they have been completely free of this problem all day. Though the cause and the fix for it were elusive until late last night, we have been able to detect it reliably, albeit after the fact, since late last week.
Damn good news if you ask me. I personally don’t appreciate wiping on a perfectly awesome BWL boss attempt, especially Nefarian! Thanks Blizz for getting on top of this one.
Posted on 2006 under EU |
31
Aug
Blizzard EU wanted to get this news out to those in their region… We are happy to announce the opening of our new InGame Customer Support Forum!…
We are happy to announce the opening of our new In-Game Customer Support Forum! Our Game Master teams will be checking and posting in this forum regularly, offering help on a number of in-game issues such as:
- Common quest, profession, loot, item, character, or interface-related issues
- Information on the latest issues and the status on correcting them
- New FAQ topics
- And insight into just what Game Masters do!
Thanks
Posted on 2006 under General |
31
Aug
Eurogamer sits down with Blizzard’s chief operating officer Paul Sams for a chat at the Leipzig Games Convention.
So, what with the next-gen battle truly kicking off at the end of this year, it seems logical that Blizzard might turn its attention to consoles next. Surely there’s a huge section of the gaming audience crying out for a console version of World of Warcraft - and since they’ll be willing to pay for the privilege, surely Blizzard will oblige?
Not neccessarily….
Read the article!
Posted on 2006 under General |
30
Aug
Seems the DFC Intelligence, a strategic market research and consulting firm focused on interactive, has published a really intriguing article entitled, “Is It Possible to Surpass World of Warcraft?”. This article touch bases on the market trends. Well worth the check out…
First, however, it is important to debunk a persistent myth about WoW’s success. The confusion results from WoW’s status as a truly global game. We know, from the game’s Chinese operator the9, that Warcraft has 5 million Chinese players. Of course, this is a terrific feat as WoW became the first Western game to penetrate the dense and difficult Chinese market. However, these Chinese users are not subscribers in the Western sense of the word: they do not pay a recurring monthly fee. In fact, they generate about 0.36 yuan per hour of gameplay; that’s about 4 cents an hour. Of course, Chinese users log a lot of hours. In the second quarter of 2006, World of Warcraft generated $32 million. While this is a substantial sum in the Chinese MMOG world, 5 million Western subscribers would have generated more than $200 million over the same time period. Thus, Chinese players generate about 15% as much revenue as their Western neighbors.
Read the Rest…
Posted on 2006 under Burning Crusade |
30
Aug
Let the information flow! The latest piece to come out on the expansion front is a great interview that the line folks at
GamePro conducted with Jeff “Tigole” Kaplan.
The interview focuses on the upcoming expansion and delves into various topics regarding design decisions and features that we’re bound to see this winter when the game is released.
Head on over and check it out.
Posted on 2006 under Burning Crusade |
30
Aug
Blizzard announced this on Sunday -
We’ve just released part one of the talents and spells preview for World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade. This preview features all new spells, abilities and talents* that will be available to the mage, paladin, rogue, shaman, warlock, and warrior classes in the upcoming expansion. Be sure to check back often for the next update with the other three classes’ new and improved abilities.
Posted on 2006 under General, Realms |
29
Aug
A couple of realms will be getting an upgrade, check it…
We’re currently preparing for a two stage hardware retrofit upgrade for the following realms which is planned to begin with this week’s Tuesday maintenance. These upgrades are part of our long term goals to improve realm performance, as previously discussed here. Upgrades for other realms are forthcoming and we ask that you please stay tuned to the forums and breaking news for any new developments or announcements. We greatly appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to increase realm performance.
The maintenance schedule for these realms is as follows:
Tuesday, August 29
12:01 AM PDT – 12:01 PM PDT
Wednesday, August 30
5:00 AM PDT – 11:00 AM PDT
Agamaggan | Alexstrasza | Alleria | Azshara | Balnazzar | Blackhand | Cho’gall | Dark Iron | Destromath | Dethecus | Detheroc | Emerald Dream | Garona | Gorgonnash | Greymane | Gul’dan | Hellscream | Illidan | Kael’thas | Kalecgos | Kirin Tor | Lightninghoof | Maelstrom | Malfurion | Moonrunner | Sargeras | Spinebreaker | Staghelm | Stormreaver | Twisting Nether | Ursin | Whisperwind | WildHammer
Thanks
WOOOT Blackhand is getting an upgrade! Let’s hope it works out and doesn’t require rolling restarts….