Blizzard Entertainment: Difference between revisions

[[Blizzard Entertainment]] is one of the computer gaming industy's most successful video game development studios. Originally working under the name "Sillicon & Synapse", they made the [[Super Nintendo]] classics ''[[The Lost Vikings]]'' and ''[[Rock Nn' Roll Racing]]'', as well as the not-classics ''The Death and Return of [[Superman]]'' and ''[[Blackthorne]]''. After renaming themselves Blizzard and moving to computer games in 1994, the studio released a [[Real Time Strategy]] game called ''[[Warcraft]]: Orcs and Humans''. The rest, as they clichédly say, is history.

After the name-change, the studio has made very few games, but the ones that are published are usually very high-quality and instant best-sellers. Many attribute the success of Blizzard games to their "easy to learn, difficult to master" philosophy, which results in games that are simple and intuitive enough to appeal to casual gamers while also having enough depth and complexity to attract hardcore gamers. ''Warcraft 1'' was followed by ''Warcraft 2'', the studio's first game of the year, which led to ''[[StarcraftStarCraft]]'', the most popular RTS ever. ''[[Diablo]]'' and its sequel created their own genre of [[Hack and Slash]] RPGs and ''Warcraft 3'' was a breakthrough in strategy game storytelling. And then there is ''[[World of Warcraft]]''...

Another notable quality in Blizzard's work are its [[Play the Game, Skip the Story|elaborate, yet ignored, plots]]. However, their storytelling is profitable enough to have spawned [[Expanded Universe|expanded universes]] and sold thousands of pocket books and comics. See the ''[[Warcraft Expanded Universe]]'' page as an example.

The company is currently based around its ''[[Warcraft]]'', ''[[StarcraftStarCraft]]'' and ''[[Diablo]]'' franchises, though there are constant rumours and hints of a new project looming in the horizon. Blizzard recently confirmed that a next-gen MMO project currently named [http://www.destructoid.com/vgas-interviews-mortal-kombat-and-blizzard-189714.phtml "Titan"] iswas in the works, but haven't elaborated on anything beyond the title of the project, which may or may not be the actual name of the game. Unfortunately, Titan got canned in mid production, what's left of it went to [[Overwatch]].

* ''[[Rock Nn' Roll Racing]]'' (1993)

** ''World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria'' (under development2012)

** ''[[StarcraftWorld II]]of Warcraft: WingsWarlords of LibertyDraenor'' (20102014)

** ''StarCraftWorld IIof Warcraft: LegacyBattle of thefor VoidAzeroth'' (under development2018)