70°

Blizzard's Hearthstone has no trading to keeps things fair

Production Director Jason Chayes explained that card trading isn’t going to be in this recently announced card based Blizzard game for a good reason, “Obviously there are a lot of games out there that do support trading that are similar within the genre. With Hearthstone, we felt like it was the best experience that instead of having trading, you’ll have a crafting mechanic. So what players can do is take cards that they don’t really need and disenchant those cards to accumulate arcane dust and use that dust to craft new cards."

Plus more on that and a few excerpts from the interview regarding balance in this upcoming card free to play card game. It was just announced at PAX East three days ago.

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beefjack.com
260°

Microsoft has ‘let Blizzard be Blizzard’ following its acquisition, studio says

Microsoft has 'let Blizzard be Blizzard' following the acquisition of the veteran developer according to World of Warcraft's executive producer.

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videogameschronicle.com
Kaii2d ago

Diablo 4 storefront being a cash grabbing shitshow does unironically attest to that, kudos.

kythlyn18h ago

Microsoft needs to be guiding Blizzard to be what it USED to be, not allowing it to continue to be the greedy bastardization of itself that it has become.

XiNatsuDragnel1d 22h ago (Edited 1d 22h ago )

Okay i will be interested if they become old Blizzard but might as well be dead.

Rynxie1d 8h ago

They will never be old blizzard. Most of all the OG's left from developers to those on the top (even some decision making folks left).

Vits1d 22h ago

Shame most of the people that made Blizzard what they were, have already left a while ago.

ApocalypseShadow1d 22h ago

I was about to say this. How can they be blizzard when they're no longer blizzard from yesteryear?

Hofstaderman1d 13h ago

Just like Rare and Bioware...

blacktiger1d 13h ago

Rare was the thing I lost heart

victorMaje1d 10h ago

Exactly. Blizzard hasn’t been Blizzard for a long time.
Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Knightofelemia1d 18h ago

Blizzard is not the same Blizzard like it use to be.

PassNextquestion1d 13h ago

Were you expecting Microsoft to hire everyone that had left Blizzard long before they purchased the company...

Microsoft has let the Blizzard company they purchased continue to be the Blizzard company they purchased.

thesoftware7301d 6h ago

Wow, PassNextquestion,

You fully understand what that saying means, unlike some people on here who just have to say negative garbage talk.

When someone says, "Just let *blank* be *blank*, "they are just letting them operate how they operate.

It's pretty much how Sony "let Bungie be Bungie."

This comment section is full of outright haters, but you have to "let N4G be N4G"

GamerRN1d 4h ago

This site leans so heavily in one direction...

BISHOP-BRASIL19h ago

I don't think people commenting are necessarily blaming MS for anything here, this is just collective longing for what Blizzard/Vivendi was before Activision's meddling.

Show all comments (43)
390°

Former Blizzard President Suggests Players Should Have Option to Tip Developers

Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra recently suggested an interesting concept that has sparked a debate among gamers - the idea of being able to tip developers after completing a game.

LG_Fox_Brazil5d ago

If I had a 100% way to be sure that this money would go to a fund or a reserve dedicated only to the guys who develop the games, be them designers, artists, programmers and so on, I could think about it.

But we all know that this 'tip' would only end up in a publisher's CEO pocket to buy a new yacht, so, no, I ain't tipping anyone anytime soon on this industry

neutralgamer19924d ago

Exactly these companies were raising money for good causes and gamers were donation and come to find out they are keeping a good chunk of be pie

PapaBop3d ago

Yeah tip your developer, 5% proceeds go to developer, 95% to the publisher or whoever. Isn't tipping for staff not making minimum wage? How about they just pay their developers properly and like you know, give them fair bonuses? Too much to ask from Blizzard these days, Kotick saw to that and is now laughing all the way to the bank.

MrDead4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

It's the t**ts at the top looking at ways to cut devs wages and get the players to tip them like waiting staff, and I'll guarantee a percentage is skimmed and kept by Activision Blizzard. This is 100% for shareholder and CEO playouts.

Popsicle4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

I have to agree with this. On the surface tipping devs sounds like a great idea, but in the end it leads to pay cuts and subsidization of pay. Tips then become an expectation or the devs “can’t make a living.” Lastly, especially in the US, tip culture has gotten out of control, and it serves as an excuse not to properly pay employees. Sounds good but doesn’t end well.

drizzom3d ago

@ Popsicle

I think your right on the nose with how much tipping has become rampant. Instead of it being a relationship directly between the customer and the developer or employee, it now has a middle man ingrained in the system. DoorDash is one example. It ends up becoming a metric where the company can measure 'just how much more money you are willing to part with' before raising the price on the main product.

1Victor4d ago

Uh so they’re trying triple dip or more we buy the game that they’re already withholding/cutting content for dlc we was told that season pass would help the developers thrive we felt for it.
Now on top of all that plus their sales bonus they want tips enough is enough whatever happens to you create/built a good game get a bonus for sales milestones you care about your game and community we reward you with more sales not for doing 3/4 of a game then save the other 1/4 for dlc and passes after

raWfodog4d ago

The 'tip' is me buying your game in the first place.

S2Killinit3d ago

Very well said. If it was possible to send the money to either the developer or some organization for the betterment of gaming, sure. But we all know that will not be the case.

Rynxie3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

No, it would go to those on the top. They will still fire developers, have a bunch of microtransactions, raise prices of games and so on.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
H95d ago

So they eventually don't pay their workers and depend on our tips to pay them like the case with waiters!

Deeeeznuuuts4d ago

That kind of practice is only normal in the states, as far as I know anyway, what a backwards system

H94d ago

No it's as well in a every country that wants to amercanize

bloop4d ago

Ireland is literally the first stop across the pond and we don't have a tipping culture. The only establishments here that would expect a tip are the tourist haunts that Americans visit. Other than that, you might tip in a restaurant as a sign of gratitude for great service and waiting staff would be paid a full wage anyway.

Rebel_Scum3d ago

Tipping is not customary iin most countries dude. Get a passport lol.

Jin_Sakai5d ago

Is this a joke? How about the big wigs giving up some of their pay for their hard working developers.

MrBaskerville4d ago

Maybe the CEO could earn his money based on tips.

mastershredder5d ago

good god. The devs are not baristas dude. Total 1% ideals. Fing Chadosaurus.

Show all comments (76)
50°

Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase Renew Agreement to Bring Titles Back to China

Blizzard and NetEase have announced that Blizzard's games will return to mainland China under a new publishing agreement.

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blizzard.gamespress.com
AdonisIsBeast6d ago

Chinese propaganda incoming. Thanks Microsoft!