The Funeral of WoW Gold

Its recent merger with Activision created the biggest player in video games. But Blizzard is much more than its mega-hit World of Warcraft
“Why does Blizzard succeed where others don’t?” asks Jay Wilson, a lead game designer with a shock of spiked hair and a wry disposition. “It isn’t a magic trick. We work at it, and if a product isn’t good enough, we cancel it.”
Blizzard Entertainment, of course, is the
Irvine (Calif.)-based maker of the world’s most popular and profitable online game, World of Warcraft (its currency is wow gold), which boasts nearly 11 million monthly subscribers around the globe. The company is also at the heart of the recent $18.9 billion merger with Activision, primarily a maker of console titles such as Guitar Hero and Call of Duty. Born in early July, the newly combined entity, Activision Blizzard (ATVI), is now the industry’s biggest player, with projected annual revenues of nearly $4.5 billion.
But Activision is acquiring much more than world of warcraft
. Blizzard is behind a string of best-selling, industry-shaping PC games including the StarCraft and Diablo series, which have sold nearly 10 million and 20 million copies, respectively. The new company is also tapping into a corporate culture that champions creativity, both productive and experimental, inspiring enduring devotion from paying players.
Company Changed Hands Several Times
Blizzard began life in 1991, founded by UCLA graduates Allen Adham, Frank Pearce, and Michael Morhaime, currently the firm’s CEO, as a group of coders-for-hire toiling on other companies’ games. The 1994 release of Warcraft vaulted the company toward becoming one of the most admired and profitable game makers in the world. (That year, the company was purchased for $10 million by distributor Davidson & Associates and changed hands a number of times before finally coming under the control of Vivendi Universal (VIV.PA) in 1998.) Like Disney’s (DIS) Pixar animation studio or electronics impresario Apple (AAPL), Blizzard has stayed ahead of competitors.
Indeed, the 250-person outfit has become one the games industry’s leading innovators, creating games that players crave and profitable new businesses that rival executives envy. “[They're] essentially design geniuses, making games easy enough for casual players and deep enough to attract and hook hard-core players,” says Jeff Green, editor-in-chief of online gaming magazine 1Up.com. “Simple to learn, difficult to master is the holy grail of game design,” he adds. “Blizzard does this every single time.”
As Wilson suggests, Blizzard’s purpose is simple: to make fun games. Sounds easy enough, but the task is complicated by the nature of modern video games, which can require development budgets rivaling those of blockbuster Hollywood releases or major corporate product rollouts. As the games industry has emerged as a serious business, Blizzard’s hallmark has been its effective and persistent effort to remain in touch with players.
Learning from Criticism
It’s also learned to feed on criticism. Betas of future expansions to World of Warcraft include reporting software that allows players to offer instant feedback like the need for wow gold from within the game. Employees endlessly play and replay games both on and off the clock, constantly looking to make improvements. At lunch, “strike teams” play concentrated sessions of games in development to provide feedback. “You know a game is ready when management has to send e-mails out after lunch begging people to get back to work,” jokes Wilson. Some designers even plan vacations to coincide with major release dates in order to play alongside regular consumers.
And the company has boldly canned numerous products, even nearly finished games it deemed “not fun enough.” An adventure spinoff based on the Warcraft franchise was ditched in 1998 despite widespread press coverage and high consumer anticipation. Blizzard executives make a habit of listing the many games that never made it out the door, including a long-delayed StarCraft-themed game for consoles that was first announced in 2002 but put on hold indefinitely in 2006 as the company grappled with the difficulties of the different platform. New games, meanwhile, are announced with ship dates of “when it’s done.”
These days, Blizzard presides over an ever-expanding universe composed of not only blockbuster games but also action figures, novels, manga, board games, pen-and-paper role-playing games, apparel, and conferences. In South Korea, where competitive video gaming is a televised sport, Blizzard’s decade-old game StarCraft inspires such fervent loyalty that tournaments still draw some 700,000 spectators a year, nurturing a niche industry worth $40 million annually. Legendary Pictures, the studio behind blockbuster comic book adaptations like Batman Begins and 300, is currently working on a big-budget, live-action film based on WoW slated for 2009.
Bringing Together Two Well-Oiled Machines
Unlike other mergers, aimed at bolstering sagging businesses or nabbing market share, analysts widely deem Activision Blizzard to be the rare union of two well-oiled machines. Steve Bailey, an analyst with London market research firm Screen Digest, notes that Activision’s console expertise could help Blizzard make the jump to the dedicated game systems produced by Microsoft (MSFT), Nintendo (7974.T), and Sony (SNE). According to Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles, the deal should insulate Activision from the more seasonal console market, which peaks in a parental buying frenzy at Christmas. Instead, some of WoW’s profits—as much as $600 million annually—can be put toward new products.
But for all the ink spilled over the Activision-Blizzard mega-merger and the attention paid to World of Warcraft—the game has been used in Toyota (TM) truck ads and parodied by South Park—the company’s biggest releases could lie ahead. Executives have committed to releasing one new WoW expansion pack every year to keep the title competitive and to keep players paying the $15 a month subscription fee. Last year, it announced StarCraft II, a sequel to the firm’s science-fiction strategy game. And, in June, the company showed the first footage of Diablo III, another highly anticipated sequel in development since 2005.
Some fans howled at Diablo III’s public unveiling, complaining that the art direction too closely resembled that of world of warcraft. The flap, to which designers quickly responded with an open letter explaining their choices, is evidence that Blizzard could yet stumble. Now, the game maker must deliver on its widening roster of games while making inroads into new genres and markets—all without abandoning the methods that, to date, have made it a darling with players and executives alike.
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CARROLLWOOD — It’s well past closing hours, but the lights are on at one of the stores in an
Ehrlich Road strip mall.
Inside Anthem Games, men and women 14 to 50ish assemble at white plastic folding tables to play an intense round of Magic the Gathering, a strategic card game with mystical, medieval themes.
A recent premier of the game’s latest edition, Eventide, drew a crowd to the game store, which opened in May.
Competitors chatter and stare intensely at the intricately illustrated playing cards and colorful pieces.
Nothing much distracts from the tournament at hand. Anthem sells candy and playing cards in a display case up front. Role-playing games (known as RPGs), board games and modeling kits line the shelves.
The comic books, toys and collectibles typically found at businesses specializing in hobby games are nowhere to be found.
“We’re all about the games,” owner James Caudill, 31, said. “We appeal to people who are looking for a place to socialize outside the bar scene, people who need an outlet for their creativity and who like solving problems and puzzles.”
Role-playing games are a big part of Anthem’s business. They go beyond the typical warriors and wizards of Dungeons and Dragons, with themes ranging from World War II (Axis and Allies) to superheroes (Mutants and Masterminds) and colonization (Settlers of Catan).
Caudill and co-owner Scott Clark, 30, have been friends for 15 years and played Magic the Gathering together.
Both are high school dropouts who carved out careers in information technology — Caudill in the Air Force and Clark in the corporate world. They went into business together to get paid to play the games they enjoyed while slacking off at work.
Caudill had come into an inheritance and bought the store to realize his dream of providing a social headquarters for games that traditionally keep people at home and at their computers.
Anthem is not the only game-hobby store in the area, but Caudill says it’s a statewide headquarters for “singles,” or individual cards not in a set.
Events change daily, from Scrabble to Yugi-Oh to world of warcraft.
Why play the games at Anthem? Aside from meeting new people, prizes are awarded at the end of the night. They include entry fees as store credit, play mats, T-shirts and foil premium cards.
Personal touches abound. A humorous sign on the fridge reads, “Snax and Dranx,” where bottled water costs $1; canned soda, 75 cents; Li’l Debbies, 50 cents; and Fla-Vor-Ice, 25 cents. An old-school Street Fighter II arcade game can be played in the back.
Each night highlights a different game tournament. Caudill moderates as a rules judge and helps customers while Clark joins in the tournaments. Caudill plays tunes from his MP3 collection, which includes Flaming Lips and Drive-By Truckers.
Anthem’s owners say they broke even in the first few months of operation, virtually unheard of in the mom-and-pop shop world, and are beginning to turn a profit. There are no expansion plans, but Clark is working on an online store for the Web site.
Does a hearty round of Scrabble or Magic ever get out of hand?
“There’s a high degree of trash talking among friends, but that’s it,” Clark says with a laugh.
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During the Ultra Mobility keynote, Anand Chandrasekher demonstrated the capabilities of the Intel Atom processor by playing World of Warcraft and a 1080p video stream on an OQO device.Chandrasekher said that the MID featured a single-core 1.86GHz Atom processor, but I wasn’t convinced by either demo.First of all, the world of warcraft
demo was of a character running around in an empty room and even then the framerate wasn’t exactly smooth – the frame rate was choppy and performance was poor. What’s more, I’d hate to see how the game ran in some of the more intensive PvP zones where there are actually other players running around.Secondly, there was no mention of what video codec was used for the 1080p video stream. Yes, it was smooth, but I doubt that it’s encoded in h.264 based on the testing we’ve done in the labs with 720p h.264 video on an Atom processor. With high-bitrate streams, we found that the Atom processor could barely handle 720p, never mind 1080p.During a roundtable with Chandrasekher, we asked what codec was used in the on-stage demo. He wasn’t 100 percent sure, but he was adamant that the chipset (and processor) can decode 1080p h.264 streams… with no mention of bitrate.I can’t help but feel that Intel is clutching at straws with the current MIDs – they’re too bulky because, even though they’re pretty frugal when it comes to power and heat, they’re not frugal enough. To make matters worse, every device we’ve seen so far just doesn’t really have a distinct usage model – the best we’ve seen has been the Rugged Panasonic, which has no intention of targeting the consumer market.We’ve seen nothing to suggest that Intel has really moved forwards since the advent (and failure) of the UMPC platform. Current MIDs just seem like more of the same with a slower, less capable processor to boot.If anything, what we really need is Moorestown because at least when that arrives, there’ll be the opportunity to make devices that are sleek, stylish and could potentially replace a smartphone. For me, carrying an additional device that’s loosely classed as ‘pocket sized’ to get a rich and uncompromised Internet experience doesn’t wash – I’d rather just live without the Internet when I’m on the move.
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World of Warcraft has announced a new “Recruit-a-Friend” initiative, designed to rope in those few people who still talk to their spouses and significant others after 8 p.m. instead of beating pretend demons with sparkly weapons. The deal is this: If a current player can convince someone to sign on for a two-month tour of fantasy duty, they get a free zhevra mount.
I should explain a couple of those words for the sweet innocents who have managed to avoid the tawdry, painted world of warcraft
.
First: zhevra. A zhevra is a zebra with a horn. Like a unicorn, but a zebra. That’s kind of a theme with Warcraft: Take a normal animal, paste on an extra body part or two, and give it a fantasy name. A zebra with a horn is a zhevra, a crocodile with six legs is a crocolisk, a two-headed buzzard is a bonestripper. There’s some fantasy precedent for this, but I’m going to be disappointed if the upcoming Warcraft expansion has me fighting three-eyed yaks (yakaboos) and nine-armed octopi (nonopi, or possibly octoplarghs).
As for the mount part, characters in Warcraft can learn to ride an animal, but not until level 30. Starting characters might be able to conjure fireballs or summon a demon, but put them in front of a horse and it’s like integral calculus to a sleepy stoat. “Horse, huh. How does this work? You … I go on top of it? Like above it? And it moves? I’m not … screw it, I’ll walk.”
Once characters reach level 30, though, they’re not limited to horses. Depending on your character’s race and reputation, you might end up riding a wolf, a ram, a dorky-looking bird, a dorky-looking mechanical bird, an elephant (sorry, elekk) or something even stranger. Get enough Warcraft characters together on their mounts and it’s like I Ran the Circus without the Three-Snarper-Harp.
So, to sum up: If you get one of your friends to shell out for two months of Warcraft, your character will get to ride a completely cosmetic zebra with a horn instead of whatever it’s riding now. It’s a sign of Warcraft’s unrelenting brain-grip that this is incredibly compelling.
World of Warcraft’s developers have mastered the unholy art of in-game bribery. They have discovered that players will do any number of stupid, tedious things in order to earn perks that have no effect on the game.
Just this week I’ve been fighting in battlegrounds — special areas where armies clash and 12-year-olds question each other’s sexuality — over and over just for a chance to win a tiny little flying dragon. This dragon doesn’t fight on my behalf or give me powers or anything. He just follows me around. In real life I try to avoid being tailed by parasitic flying creatures, but in the game I seek it out, even though I hate battlegrounds.
And really, what does my little dragon tell the other people in the game? The same thing it tells you — I spent too much time playing Warcraft.
This isn’t so bad, mostly because the other players spend too much time playing Warcraft as well. The zhevra mount, however, tells people: “Not only do I spend too much time playing Warcraft and too much money buying wow gold, I hassle those with enough wisdom to avoid it.” It’s sort of like helping out a drug baron, except at least drug mules generally get some cash out of the deal. This is as if someone said: “Hey, if you board a plane with this condom full of cocaine stashed someplace unmentionable, I’ll give you a stylish cravat.”
I can only hope that this will serve as a cautionary tale to those who, unlike me, have managed to resist the massively multiplayer siren song that Warcraft continues to sing. But if it doesn’t, and you decide to sign up for the game anyway, let me know. Those zhevra mounts are pretty boss.
Tag: wow gold, world of warcraft gold

Supports All Platforms Including Xbox 360™, PLAYSTATION®3, Nintendo Wii™ and PC’s.Gamertrainer.com, LLC, a leading provider of console and PC gaming skills training, announced the launch of its website and service, Gamertrainer.com™. The website serves all levels of gamers from novices to professionals and features tips, guides and hourly private lessons provided by highly skilled instructors or “Gamertrainers™.”“Gaming is now one of the fastest growing forms of entertainment in the world,” said David Williams, co-founder and president of Gamertrainer.com, LLC. “You have all age groups playing and many adults are picking up controllers and playing online for the first time. As these new gamers enter the market a real skills gap can occur, causing frustration and driving them away,” said Williams. “Our trainers help fill that gap, whether your goal is to win more online in Halo® 3, get started in World of Warcraft® or to finally beat your neighbor in Guitar Hero® we have trainers available to help you.”All training sessions take place over online services like Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE®, Sony’s PLAYSTATION®Network or PC based servers for games like world of warcraft
. Booking a training session is easy with an on-site calendar showing all the days and times available by game. Customers can book, purchase and complete a form describing exactly what they would like to learn and within hours they are contacted by their trainer and are ready to go. “One of our goals is to fill a very underserved niche – the beginner gamer,” said co-founder Bill Bates. “Take World of Warcraft, for example. For every world of warcraft
veteran there are thousands who have tried it and given up, unable to get past the myriad of choices, acronyms and terminology seasoned World of Warcraft players take for granted. Our World of Warcraft trainers help people get past the learning curve quickly and on to truly enjoying the game experience.”Gamertrainer.com provides private training sessions and training gift certificates for both experienced and beginner gamers on all the major platforms (Xbox360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii and PC) and a growing list of games including:• Battlefield: Bad Company™• Call of Duty 4®: Modern Combat™• Guitar Hero® III and Rock Band™• Halo® 2 and 3• Madden NFL 09• Rainbow Six® Vegas 1 and 2• Super Smash Bros.® Brawl• World of WarcraftAbout Gamertrainer.com, LLCAt Gamertrainer.com our goal is to help anyone become a better gamer. It doesn’t matter if you’ve just picked up your first controller or you’re a frustrated gaming veteran, we have a trainer that can help you “Unleash Your Game.” For more information visit www.gamertrainer.com
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Technology pushes society in new and exciting ways, some good and some bad. The world of online gaming isn’t immune from this either, with their being both upsides and downsides from the emergence of MMO games such as World of Warcraft and Everquest. Welcome to the wow gold-farm.
One of the strangest sidelines to these games is the virtual economy that has built up around them, with money to be made from building assets by playing the game and then selling wow gold to other gamers. By coupling cash-rich, time-poor players with slave wage workers in emerging economic countries, the people in charge can make big profits.
According to new research by the
University of Manchester in England, this virtual economy is big business, and despite efforts by games developers, is likely to keep on expanding.
According to The Telegraph, the research team, lead by Professor Richard Heeks, found that there are almost half a million people employed in these so-called gold-farms.
Large-scale virtual sweatshops in countries such as China, Romania, Indonesia, and Mexico, are employing thousands of young men and women to acquire wow gold, equipment, and skills. These assets are then sold to gamers desperate for an advantage over their fellow addicts.
The people employed in this industry typically work 12-hour shifts with just a short break in exchange for accommodation, meals, and an average of $150 per month. The people at the top of the multi-million dollar industry can make fortunes, but the employees are left with little money, and an addiction to an online game they cannot afford to keep playing if the gold-farms go out of business.
Where there is demand there will always be supply, and so this black market virtual economy is likely to keep on growing until the developers behind the MMO games manage to stop the practise completely.
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Blizzard’s Tom Chilton and J. Allen Brack fill us in on the current status of the next WoW expansion.world of warcraft is the 800-pound gorilla of the massively multiplayer market. Other companies would be thrilled to capture only a small segment of Blizzard’s incredible success, but Blizzard isn’t a company known for resting on its laurels. Wrath of the Lich King is the second World of Warcraft expansion, and it’s set to bring far more new content and explorable areas than were introduced in The Burning Crusade.Many WoW players are already experiencing what’s to come in the massive Wrath of the Lich King beta test. We sat down with Lead Designer Tom Chilton and Lead Producer J. Allen Brack at Games Convention in Germany to talk about the current state of the expansion’s development and what we can expect as the adventurers who have conquered the challenges of Azeroth and Outland move on to the icy reaches of Northrend.GameSpy: Let’s talk a little about the differences in approach that you’re taking between what you did with The Burning Crusade and with Wrath of the Lich King.
Tom Chilton, Lead Designer: The biggest difference would be what we do for every different kind of player. We learned a lot with The Burning Crusade as far as how popular 10-person raids were, the 25s, and the daily quests for more wow gold. We’re trying to make sure that we come out with a game with things for everyone and for all the different players out there. We learned a lot of different angles and philosophies, etc.
GameSpy: What kind of feedback have you gotten regarding your new philosophy regarding the new party sizes for raid encounters?
Tom Chilton: The feedback we’ve been getting has been overwhelmingly positive, as far as people really liking the fact that we’re supporting 10- and 25-person raids. We actually expected a little more of a freak out regarding the 10- and 25-person raid cap size. Overall, people seem to really like the change.

GameSpy: What’s the status of development on the expansion?
Tom Chilton: Finishing and polishing is really where we’re at. The level cap will be bumped up to 80 pretty soon, and as soon as that happens, there’ll be very little content that won’t be available. We’ll have Naxxramas in the hands of the players very soon. Wintergrasp will be fully playable for the players very soon. Once that stuff is all online, then we’ll be at least content-complete. Right now we’re in our pass on balancing and a lot of tweak stuff we’re working on. Up until now we’ve just been getting everything in there. Now that everything’s in there, we can work on smoothing it all out.

Tag: wow gold, world of warcraft gold