Blizzard execs want to reinvent real-time strategy.. on mobile phones?

[Guest Kloaked]

Original Article: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/02/blizzard-execs-want-to-reinvent-real-time-strategy-on-mobile-phones/

 

 

Your face when:

 

 

Okay probably not.

 

Blizzard executives are apparently wanting to put a focus on the strategy genre mobile gaming. I totally did not see this coming when they bought King. Nope.

 

Hopefully this doesn't mean we'll have a mobile Starcraft: Candy Crush edition or some shit like that.

 

 

Quote

 

Speaking to VentureBeat recently, a trio of Blizzard executives suggested that the idea of bringing real-time strategy (RTS) to mobile platforms deserves "conscious evaluation," as Senior Vice President and co-founder Frank Pearce put it. That means potentially changing up the way the genre has been known to work in its home on PC, he said.

 

"If we were going to continue to evaluate experiences in real-time strategy, I think we’d have to figure out what that means to the current player space," Pearce said. "Legacy of the Void is great. [But] I don’t think that people want to sit down and play 45 minute missions any more. I think that space might need some reinventing."

 

 

 

He's right about one thing; mobile players may generally not want to play one single match for 45 minutes.

 

With VR getting bigger, though, the Blizzard exec was asked about what they planned to do with VR since it's all the hype nowadays.

 

 

Quote

 

Elsewhere in the interview, the Blizzard execs said they had no current plans to develop for any virtual reality headsets, expressing skepticism that the revamped technology could prove truly social. "Everybody’s talking about VR and wearing funny helmets," Senior Vice President Chris Metzen said. "Culturally, we’re interested, and we’re watching... It’s possible that other companies will take more tentative steps and plant their flags. I don’t think we’re quite ready to conquer all that yet."

 

 

 

Before we jump on the hate-train headed toward Chris Metzen, lets be realistic here; how many of you bought an Occulus Rift already? Can all two of you raise your hand? Okay thanks.

 

Yes, the thing costs a lot of money. You might say it's a realistic price point for the first generation of the headset (I would argue it's not the first of it's kind, given they sold "dev kits" to Kickstarters, but okay (yes I know they gave some backers the latest and greatest)) but it is still too expensive for someone to take a gamble on it while the backing of it from developers is still extremely small right now. VR for PC is a niche of a niche market.

 

They may be on point about putting a focus on what they've always been planning, taking things slow, examining the market, and come in and just shit on everyone else with sales like they always have. However, the other side to this is that if all of these guys have the same mindset of "we wanna sit back an watch", who is going to take the risk to jump start the VR market?

[Tedol]

nothing about nothing and maybe... ok 

[AlwaysFSX]

RTS on mobile? God the controls are going to be clunky and shit.

[Tomic]

RTS+mobile= no

[KE2012]

Well, IMO no developer has come close to a good RTS since the early - mid 2000's. But the idea of a RTS on mobile just sends a shiver down my spine. 

[vanished]

Can't you just picture it?  All the hardcore "pro" Starcraft 2 players moving over to phones... 

[Misanthrope]

A.k.a. Blizzard executives want clash of clans moneys.

[suicidalfranco]

just don't make a clone of: clash of clans, plant vs zombies and puzzle quest

[ivan134]

RTS on controllee is hard enough to do. Pikmim is still the best console RTS to date and they had to take a lot of shortcuts to make it work. I usually hold Blizzard and Nintendo in high regards in being creative, but Blizzard are feeling themselves a bit too much with this.

[Katorice]

YESSSS MORE MICROTRANS! MORE WAITING TIMES! LESS OPTIONS! YESSS!

/s

 

god, I fucking hate execs.

[PlayStation 2]

In order to reinvent something, you must invent it?

[Citadelen]

Unless you have stick fingers like me be prepared to accidently tap the icon next to the one intended 75% of the time.

 

 

[TriviaBeast]

Hmm. Not thrilled because I hate mobile gaming outside of emulators. But...Blizzard is one of the few companies that can pull off just about anything. Can't wait to not play it!

[Virtual01]

Blizzards idea of reinventing something is to dumb it down as much as humanly possible to appeal to the largest audience possible

[SansVarnic]

RTS on mobile phone . . .  UMMM No.

[Eroda]

they want to casualize the RTS so 5-10 minutes per mission just start the mission with an army and base setup and just have players click to watch the computer control your stuff and make you win

[SansVarnic]

Just now, Eroda said:

they want to casualize the RTS so 5-10 minutes per mission just start the mission with an army and base setup and just have players click to watch the computer control your stuff and make you win

So kinda like the turn style RTS like back in the day...

[Mushious]

Please no, just give us Warcraft 4 already. On PC.

 

38 minutes ago, huilun02 said:

Well there's already Hearthstone. Now to dig even harder. 

Hearthstone on the phone is actually pretty enjoyable, good for a long trip.

[Eroda]

11 hours ago, SansVarnic said:

So kinda like the turn style RTS like back in the day...

nah man make it like epic big fancy explosions and cut scenes that make your eyes bleed like modern movie CGI, 30 years from now games will be just like movies just interactive select your dialogue  options and push @ to watch thats the future of gaming....... 

[Guest Kloaked]

34 minutes ago, Eroda said:

nah man make it like epic big fancy explosions and cut scenes that make your eyes bleed like modern movie CGI, 30 years from now games will be just like movies just interactive select your dialogue  options and push @ to watch thats the future of gaming....... 

They need to hire Michael Bay.

[Guest]

The entire idea of mobile gaming is silly to me. 

 

I like being a recluse and sitting at home. And I get motion sick when reading in a car, so that point is moot for me. 

 

 

[Doobeedoo]

VR aside, it will simply take time for hardware part to evolve enough to be great and content to be amazing.

 

As far as mobile games and to add MOBA (moba-like) games, is that all that people are focusing lately. Cause it sucks.