Recently, VentureBeat conducted an in-depth interview with a trio of Blizzard Entertainment executives to get a feel for where the gaming giant may be heading in the near future. Handling the questions were president and co-founder Michael Morhaime, senior vice-president and co-founder Frank Pearce, and senior vice-president Chris Metzen. The interviews were triggered by Blizzard’s celebration this week of the 25th anniversary of their founding.
Blizzard is currently the fifth largest gaming company in the world as measured by revenues if you look at just their traditional business line. However, the company did acquire mobile gaming giant King Entertainment last year and if their numbers are factored in, Blizzard jumps up to number two. With the King acquisition, Newzoo analyst Peter Warman noted that “Activision/Blizzard will have the broadest range of game in terms of devices and genres on the planet.”
Despite the depth of their market penetration, Blizzard’s executives see huge potential in moving some of their classic titles into the mobile device space instead of relying on the types of casual games that King produces. This includes titles like their StarCraft series or even World of Warcraft. The challenge is achieving a balance between the casual gaming experience and the more intense attention some titles require as they move from other platforms to mobile. As an example, Pearce noted that on all platforms he does not think “people want to sit down and play 45 minute missions any more. I think that space might need some reinventing.”
Another challenge the executives see with their stable of gaming titles is how to keep content fresh and constantly updating. That could mean opening up the walls surrounding their titles just a bit to enable player-created content to become part of the experience. Such a move would be consistent with some of Blizzard’s overriding goals like making it easier for players to create and share content and through sharing, helping all of us be nicer to each other when online.
One interesting position that did surface during the interview is that Blizzard’s leadership has not yet jumped on board the virtual reality bandwagon. Although it might seem like a title like World of Warcraft would lend itself to a VR experience where players could wander through the landscape, Metzen says the company is just “watching” as the space develops. Part of the concern is that Blizzard thinks their players enjoy a sense of community as they play – friends sitting on a couch together – as opposed to sitting around, essentially solitary, with “funny helmets” on their heads.
One thing that Blizzard hopes does not change is a commitment to their core values which include a commitment to gameplay, quality, playing fair, embracing the inner geek, listening to every voice, thinking globally, leading responsibly, and learning and growing.
source: VentureBeat
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