News

Blizzard acquired 'Project Blackstone' domain November 26th
Posted: 30.11.2012 15:13 by Simon Priest Comments: 19
A web domain for 'Project Blackstone' was once owned by a Texas resident but they let it expire last year, according to WHOIS records, but now Blizzard has snapped it up this week.

There are no webpage connections to the domain as of yet; Blizzard are just sitting on it. There's little to no reference to 'Blackstone' in any lore created by the studio.

Early this month they launched a bid to wrestle control of HeroesofWarcraft.com from its present owner, claiming they bought it only because of Blizzard's Warcraft IP.

Blizzard does seem to have stepped up legal activity on the Warcraft front, which some speculate is pointing toward a revival of the real-time strategy series that eventually birthed World of Warcraft. The studio now controls projectblackstone.com until November 26th, 2013, reports Fusible.
Source: VG247

Comments

By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Nov 30, 2012
herodotus
"Warcraft IV" perhaps....
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Nov 30, 2012
nocutius
I would not mind that at all, it's about time for it actually :).
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Nov 30, 2012
herodotus
Well if it is I'll be in "The Retirement Home For Old Gamers" once it's released, knowing Blizzard's development cycle.
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Dec 01, 2012
nocutius
:)

If it comes with a SP campaign as great as SC2's then I don't mind waiting all that much.
By SiyaenSokol (SI Elite) on Dec 01, 2012
SiyaenSokol
I will actually be incredibly happy if Warcraft RTS gets back into the world. I loved the RTS version of Warcraft and was quite disappointed when I heard that the story continues in World of Warcraft.
By SiyaenSokol (SI Elite) on Dec 01, 2012
SiyaenSokol
Got to hand it to Blizzard though, they might take forever to make games but the stories are always great.
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Dec 01, 2012
nocutius
They really do know how to tell a story :).

The first time I got hooked on one of their games (story wise) was with the original SC. I loved Warcraft 2 but more for the gameplay, their story telling wasn't quite yet developed at the time.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Dec 01, 2012
herodotus
Yes, they do. However I do question their overly long development cycle. Many, MANY other games can produce brilliant titles with involved SP storylines in a fifth of the time Blizzard takes. Do I need to mention titles ("C&C", "CoH", "Homeworld I&2", "Gemini Wars", the latter admittedly SP only)?
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Dec 01, 2012
nocutius
I'm not sure if I'd put any of the C&C games in the same league storytelling wise. Sure they were kinda interesting in a quirky way but to me they were never as engaging, I never really cared about any of the characters like I do in SC.

For me a quality of any story is mainly measured in how much I care about its characters. A simple and a mundane story with strong characterization is almost always going to be superior to a grand space opera with weak characters.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Dec 01, 2012
herodotus
Then again, is this an Action/RTS/RPG hybrid we're speaking of? Then I give you "DoW II" in all it's splendour and expansions, and the first Chapter in "CoH: Tales of Valor". I cared very much for my characters. Then of course you have fully fledged RPG's that are developed once more in a fifth of the time, or less.
Sorry, BlizzSlaveBabe, I won't let you have your Blizzard glory without a fight-:)
By SiyaenSokol (SI Elite) on Dec 02, 2012
SiyaenSokol
Speaking of Dawn of War... when are they continuing the story of the very first Dawn of War? Now that was an outstanding story that never continued.

I still love Blizzard games, but I have to say that after Diablo 3, I don't see the reason why Blizzard has to take 10 years just to finish a game. Diablo 3 was suppose to be ready and operational without any problem... and patch after patch after patch things didn't get much better. The game is finally up to par, but none the less, it was suppose to be ready at release date.

Starcraft 2 is the only Blizzard game I have nothing to complain about. And speaking of characters, I too have a connection with most of them. I want to see Arcturus die, and I hope and pray that Jim Raynor never dies.
By nocutius (SI Elite) on Dec 02, 2012
nocutius
I'm not saying that they're the only good storytellers just that that they are one of them :)
And yes they do take too long to make their games but for now it's still within reason (for Blizzard :P).

Though D3 is a worrying occurrence, a SP game forced online and way too buggy for it's development cycle.
Blizzard are one of the last big guys I still have respect for, I hope that does not change too soon.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Dec 02, 2012
herodotus
I'm afraid Relic are the only ones left I have any respect for as Developers, though the much maligned EA still has it's moments and remains one of the only companies still producing quality titles.
By DAmicoThunder (SI Core Veteran) on Dec 03, 2012
DAmicoThunder
I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one, herodotus.
By DAmicoThunder (SI Core Veteran) on Dec 03, 2012
DAmicoThunder
EA has no originality anymore. When was the last time they made a quality game with an original title? When? Most of their games are based off of movies or sports. Unoriginal in my humble opinion. Still great games, just unoriginal titles. Quality games need original titles. Just had to get that out there.
By herodotus (SI Herodotus) on Dec 03, 2012
herodotus
I agree, nothing original but for me a name you can still basically trust. I think I am also influenced by a 30 year relationship with their products and their customer service, the latter being second to none among big names. Blizzard I trust as much as I'd trust Activision to have the interests of the gamer at heart, whereas I still believe EA care.
By DAmicoThunder (SI Core Veteran) on Dec 05, 2012
DAmicoThunder
I concur with that statement. The fact remains that, while EA may care, they, like Blizzard and Activision and everyone else, the thing they care about more than anything is making a profit. Even if a game would be widely popular, they would not be worried about people playing it, just buying it. They don't care if we play their games or not, so long as we buy them. This fact is a reason why I play games before I buy them. Such as Skyrim, which I watched a friend play before I bought it. And Modern Warfare 3, I played with a friend and determined I did not like it. Even so, I believe that the gaming companies should care more about us than money, considering they will have to adapt to the fact that it is likely PCs will take over the gaming industry, replacing game consoles, sometime in the near future.
By SiyaenSokol (SI Elite) on Dec 06, 2012
SiyaenSokol
I have to agree with your statement DAmicoThunder. As time goes on, I get more and more of a feeling that the gaming companies don't really care about the gamers purchasing their games. Blizzard used to be my all time favourite, and I lost a ton of respect for them after their pathetic customer service. id on the other hand I have never had need to contact them, but if you look at Rage, and see all of the bugs and frame problems, you can't help yourself but ask why is this still going on. These used to be top companies who made some of the best games, and now it just feels like they don't care what they give us, as long as we spend money for it.

I am not a fan of EA, as I have been suspicious of them not caring at all about gamers. It is just about the money, and always has been.
By DAmicoThunder (SI Core Veteran) on Dec 06, 2012
DAmicoThunder
And the problem is, the few companies that do care more about gamers than money get bought by the bigger companies that care more for money.