Blizzard Entertainment: Difference between revisions

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[[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 N 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 (Video Game)|~~Warcraft]]: Orcs and Humans''. The rest, as they clichédly say, is history.

[[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 N 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 ''[[~~Starcraft (Video Game)|~~Starcraft]]'', 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 (Video Game)|~~World of Warcraft]]''...

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 ''[[Starcraft]]'', 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.

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 (Video Game)|~~Warcraft]]'', ''[[~~Starcraft (Video Game)|~~Starcraft]]'' 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"] is 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.

The company is currently based around its ''[[Warcraft]]'', ''[[Starcraft]]'' 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"] is 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.

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=== Games and [[Expansion Pack|expansion packs]] by Blizzard ===

* ''[[The Lost Vikings]]'' (1992)

* ''[[~~Rock N Roll Racing (Video Game)|~~Rock N Roll Racing]]'' (1993)

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

* ''[[~~Blackthorne (Video Game)|~~Blackthorne]]'' (1994)

* ''[[Blackthorne]]'' (1994)

* ''[[~~Warcraft (Video Game)|~~Warcraft]]: Orcs and Humans'' (1994)

* ''[[Warcraft]]: Orcs and Humans'' (1994)

* ''[[The Lost Vikings]] II'' (1995)

* ''Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness'' (1995)

** ''Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal'' (1996)

* ''[[Diablo (~~Video Game~~)|Diablo]]'' (1996)

* ''[[Diablo (series)|Diablo]]'' (1996)

* ''[[~~Starcraft I (Video Game)|~~Starcraft I]]'' (1998)

* ''[[Starcraft I]]'' (1998)

** ''StarCraft: Brood War'' (1998)

* ''[[Diablo (~~Video Game~~)|Diablo II]]'' (2000)

* ''[[Diablo (series)|Diablo II]]'' (2000)

** ''Diablo II: Lord of Destruction'' (2001)

* ''Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos'' (2002)

** ''Warcraft III: the Frozen Throne'' (2003)

* ''[[~~World of Warcraft (Video Game)|~~World of Warcraft]]'' (2004/5)

* ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' (2004/5)

** ''World of Warcraft: the Burning Crusade'' (2007)

** ''World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King'' (2008)

** ''World of Warcraft: Cataclysm'' (2010)

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

* ''[[~~Starcraft II (Video Game)|~~Starcraft II]]: Wings of Liberty'' (2010)

* ''[[Starcraft II]]: Wings of Liberty'' (2010)

** ''StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm'' (under development)

** ''StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void'' (under development)

* ''[[~~Diablo III (Video Game)|~~Diablo III]]'' (2012)

* ''[[Diablo III]]'' (2012)

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=== Tropes that apply to Blizzard and its games ===

* [[April Fools' Day]] - Blizzard makes it a tradition to release some preposterously bogus info on their new games during April Fools Day.

** Subverted when one of the jokes was about a new hero unit for [[~~Warcraft (Video Game)|~~Warcraft]] III, The Goblin Tinker. Even though it was a joke, they added the hero to the game anyway some months after.

** Subverted when one of the jokes was about a new hero unit for [[Warcraft]] III, The Goblin Tinker. Even though it was a joke, they added the hero to the game anyway some months after.

* [[Baa Bomb]] - Exploding critters are a given in any Blizzard game.

* [[The Bad Guy Wins]] - ''Warcraft I'', ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'', ''Starcraft: Brood War'' and ''Diablo I and II''.... They are rather fond of this trope.

** The main villain of ''[[~~World of Warcraft (Video Game)|~~World of Warcraft]]'' usually does lose in the end, though.

** The main villain of ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' usually does lose in the end, though.

*** Not quite. Various [[The Dragon|threats to all life]] have been defeated so far, but there is always a [[Bigger Bad]], and [[The Man Behind the Man|the being that has created (directly or otherwise)]] every fault in Azeroth's history is [[Word of God|"still out there somewhere, in the Twisting Nether"]].

* [[Cutscene]] - While the games themselves are designed to work on weaker PCs, the cinematics are always state of the art.

* [[Cash Cow Franchise]] - '''All of them'''. Mainly because...

* [[Doing It for ~~The~~ Art]] - ...the company has ''very'' high self-imposed quality standards, and has flat-out ''cancelled'' games which weren't passing muster.

* [[Doing It for the Art]] - ...the company has ''very'' high self-imposed quality standards, and has flat-out ''cancelled'' games which weren't passing muster.

* [[Downer Ending]] / [[Bittersweet Ending]] - Fairly common in Blizzard games. The only happy endings thus far have been in the pre-expansion stories of ''Warcraft II'' and ''Warcraft III''.

** Don't forget that both ''Starcraft'' and its sequel have, in their pre-expansion campaigns, ended with the main antagonist defeated. ''Beyond the Dark Portal'' also managed to end with the Horde beaten and under control, the Portal closed, and Draenor destroyed.