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Barron’s has a long article up about Blizzard’s corporate overlords at Activision-Blizzard, and as is usual with most pieces of Activision news, people will probably see in it what they want to see. Those who think Bobby Kotick is just a money-grubbing exploiter will find more fuel for their firey fanboy rage: apparently he’s a follower of Las Vegas casino entrepreneur Steve Wynn, and is modeling some of Activision-Blizzard’s business plan off of that guy, Shareholders, however, will probably be thrilled. In terms of a purely financial sense, Activision-Blizzard is apparently one of the shinest futures around, with Kotick bragging that videogames will eclipse film and TV in terms of moneymaking in just a few years.

From our perspective, as longtime fans and players of Blizzard’s games, the most interesting thing I see here is that Barron’s makes no distinction at all between Activision and Blizzard any more — the Activision-Blizzard company, according to the article, is equally responsible for both the Starcraft and Transformers franchises. Obviously, as gamers, we see a huge distinction between those two: one is a classic, storied, much-loved videogame series, and the other is a cash-in on a license that’s panned everywhere but the box office. But for the financial guys, they’re just both properties of Activision-Blizzard. That’s not to say that our Blizzard is entirely lost (anyone who was at BlizzCon last week knows that’s not true), but it is a sign that the merger is no longer news. From an outsider perspective, Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft are just two cash cows from the same company.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, News items, Economy, NPCs

Activision-Blizzard and their financial future originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The mythical Apple Tablet is one of those lovely shiny objects that we’d all love to have but has yet to officially be announced by Apple. Still, that doesn’t stop folk dreaming now does it? Well Cult of Mac recently posted an article on on how the Tablet will change gaming. The essential gist of the piece is that the Tablet will be a larger version of the iPhone but — and here’s where it gets interesting — it also features a demo video showing how WoW might work if you decided to play it on the Tablet.

The demo was created by an anonymous graduate student called, unsurprisingly, Jon Doe. Doe has used actual game footage from Darnassus to figure out how you could use your fingers to play the game, rather than the more traditional mouse and keyboard. He only really goes into moving around and how the movement of your wrist affects the character but it’s an intriguing start. Multitouch is becoming a way of life, so how would it work if you controlled your toon with one hand and used the action bar with your right?

Check out the video above.

Filed under: Fan stuff, Odds and ends, News items

How WoW might be played on the Apple Tablet originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Our podcast took to the airwaves yet again last Saturday, and it was what you might call a rollicking good time. Turpster and I were on, and we welcomed both Alex Ziebart and Michael Sacco back to the show, to talk about BlizzCon last weekend, our experiences with the expansion’s new starter zones, and why Deathwing is actually a great choice for the Cataclysm‘s bad guy.

And we answered your emails, including information about PvP vs. questing XP, our meetup (and the trip after BlizzCon to Disneyland — you can check out some pictures of the trip in the gallery below), and racial bonuses to tradeskills — how they work and what they’ll look like in the next expansion.

Was a great time, and you can hear all about it on the podcast below. If you have anything you’d like to tell us (either about something you heard on the show, or something you didn’t hear us talk about yet), feel free to send an email to theshow@wow.com, and you might hear it on the show next week. Enjoy.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Podcasts, Podcasting, Fan stuff, Odds and ends, Expansions, BlizzCon, WoW Insider Show, Cataclysm

WoW Insider Show Episode 105: All medicated up originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome back to The Queue, WoW.com’s daily Q&A column where the WoW.com team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Alex Ziebart will be your host today.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday afternoon. I know I am! Well, actually, I don’t know that. I’m writing this Sunday night, and I don’t have a time machine powerful enough to show me what’s happening tomorrow afternoon. Ideally, though? I’m having a wonderful time. Ask me tomorrow (which is today), and maybe I’ll have a different answer.

Ryael asked…

“I was watching the BlizzCon feed online and there was a short interview with a man that was advertising how you could purchase a sizeable poster with one of our characters on it. Any idea what site that was from?”

Continue reading The Queue: A message from the past

Filed under: Warlock, Analysis / Opinion, BlizzCon, The Queue

The Queue: A message from the past originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week I talked about the massive guild overhaul unveiled at BlizzCon, and the impact these changes would have on guilds, for better or worse. This week I’d like to delve into the leveling system and guild talents. (I’ll cover achievements and guild currency in a separate column later.)

Currently we know that guilds will level up as players participate in the following:

• Boss kills
• Rated battlegrounds and arenas
• Leveling professions
• Increasing faction reputations

Blizzard has stated that only the top 20 experience producers per day will count toward leveling. This is a smart idea. Without this limitation, I could easily see guilds recruiting every player possible just to level up quickly, and then discarding the players they don’t really want once they hit level 20. Guild size should help in a small way, but it shouldn’t be the determining factor of leveling progress.

One other factor I’d like see contribute to guild leveling is player achievements. Many of them, particularly for Heroic dungeons and raiding, are very difficult to get without a solid guild. Aside from a few vanity items along the way, there’s no great reward for racking up a ton of achievement points. Yet, well-designed achievements (i.e., not the exploring or holiday achievements) demonstrate mastery of various aspects of the game. Shouldn’t your guild be rewarded for having such players? Besides, it never hurts to give players more incentive to go out and /love some squirrels.

Continue reading Officers’ Quarters: Cataclysm’s guild revamp — leveling and talents

Filed under: (Guild Leadership) Officers’ Quarters

Officers’ Quarters: Cataclysm’s guild revamp — leveling and talents originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The great thing about playable demos are the tidbits of info and sneaky souls with cameras snapping things they shouldn’t be snapping. Such was the case in the press room at BlizzCon this year, where cameras were prohibited from pointing their lenses towards computer screnes. However, it appears that Spanish fansite WoW Todo got around the floating press room attendants somehow, and posted maps of the new starting zones for Goblins and Worgens.

Both of the maps have a couple of unique touches. For example, both have images of their inhabitants on it. The Lost Isles map has a particularly ugly female Goblin in a bikini while Gilneas features a human in Victorian garb. The latter also has a couple of shredded bits as if a Worgen adventurer had used his or her claws when trying to read the map. The Goblin map features a scattering of indented gold coins at the corners, as if to hold it open. Both are awesome little touches that add that special bit of pizazz to the new zones.

But the maps do give us a proper glance at what we can expect from the two zones. Gilneas is dominated by Greymane Manor and the town of Duskhaven. Looking at it, I was expecting something a bit larger, but then you remember it is a starter zone. The Lost Isles is smaller still with an Alliance encampment to the North and an Orc settlement to the south, which explains their presence in the trailer.

We should note that the Gilneas map is only part of the Worgen starting zone. The city and the Greymane wall are due East of what’s presented.

Check out the Goblin map and Worgen map over on WoW Todo.

Filed under: Horde, Alliance, Odds and ends, Blizzard, News items, Expansions, BlizzCon, Cataclysm, Worgen, Goblin

Cataclysm Worgen and Goblin starter zone maps originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We covered the In Memory: Retribution final trailer back in May. At the time, we were impressed by the hints we could see in the trailer about the epic content of the final movie. But, as with many trailers, we were unconvinced that the final product would ever materialize. Thus, I’m incredibly happy to feature the final movie today. Click here to check out In Memory: Retribution by Necka.

This movie is huge. It’s probably one of the longest and most thorough machinima presentations I can remember seeing. The camera work and voice acting are all perfectly suited to the story, and the sweeping narrative is thorough and world-changing. The story is based on the fall of Illidan, and I feel like the action really gets started when a troll sorrowfully admits his own part in the fate of the Betrayer.

This movie is definitely worth watching. Like I said, however, it’s pretty long — be sure to leave yourself an hour or so to watch it all. There are a few places you may need to back up, if your stream gets interrupted.

Click here to see it for yourself. This link provides an option to stream or download the video.

Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an e-mail at machinima AT wow DOT com.

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Machinima, WoW Moviewatch

WoW Moviewatch: In Memory: Retribution originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite its name, World of WarCrafts isn’t only about crafts. We feature all sorts of creative endeavors fueled by your passion for the World of Warcraft. This week, we hope to inspire all you WoW-playing musicians out there (hey! send us your stuff!) by sharing three of our older favorite fan performances of WoW music on the web today.

The Stormwind theme above is played by ObsidianLord, a Hungarian pianist who interprets with obvious passion and depth. Join us after the break for another popular (from 2007) but moving rendition of Song of Elune.

Continue reading World of WarCrafts: Music to our ears

Filed under: Fan stuff, Features, Fan art, World of WarCrafts

World of WarCrafts: Music to our ears originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Listen, kid, I love you and all that crap, but I’ve been healing instances all day, and I am beat. I just want some peace and quiet when I come back to Orgrimmar. Is that too much to ask? Why don’t you go bother your dad or something? I think he’s over near the Inn. Tell him to bring me a beer while you’re at it. (Thanks to Serthida of <Elder Tribunal> on Bloodhoof for this picture!)

Do you have any unusual, beautiful or interesting World of Warcraft images that are just collecting dust in your screenshots folder? We’d love to see them on Around Azeroth! Sharing your screenshot is as simple as e-mailing aroundazeroth@wow.com with a copy of your shot and a brief explanation of the scene. You could be featured here next!

Remember to include your player name, server and/or guild if you want it mentioned. Please include the word “Azeroth” in your post so it does not get swept into the spam bin. We strongly prefer full screen shots without the UI showing — use alt-Z to remove it. Please, no more battleground scoreboards, gold seller ads with dead gnomes any race at all, or pictures of the Ninja Turtles in Dalaran.

Filed under: Screenshots, Around Azeroth, Galleries

Around Azeroth: Paws-off parenting originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Lichborne, the Death Knight column that dares ask the hard-hitting questions of Blizzard. Questions such as: Can I make a Worgen Death Knight now? Pretty please with sugar on top?

We’ve now had about a week and a half to digest all the new information from BlizzCon about the Cataclysm, and while it’s not a complete picture of what we can expect from the expansion, there’s enough information now that we can make some pretty good educated guesses about the direction of the game and the new theorycraft of being a Death Knight. Let’s take a look at we can learn from the latest information.

New Races

The new races definitely have some pretty awesome racials. The Worgen‘s plus damage racial will make them a very solid choice for a DPS Death Knight, and the sprint will be excellent for closing distance in PvP, especially when paired with Lichborne or Icebound Fortitude to avoid CC. Even the skinning racial will be nice for a leveling Death Knight who decides to take some time out to level the money making gathering tradeskills.

Goblins are definitely going to be a nice little convenient race, with low buy and sell prices and a free bit of banking. Combat-wise, the Rocket Boots should be nice for closing distances or running away.

As far as whether these races will end up being the “best” races for Death Knights, I don’t think I can say. Part of this is because I think the idea of a “best race” is, to at least some degree, rather subjective, but also, the devs strongly hinted they’ll take a look at everyone’s racial abilities as they move into Cataclysm, so its certainly possible that other races will get some new or upgraded racials that will keep pace with the awesomeness that are the new races’ racials.

Continue reading Lichborne: What Cataclysm might mean for Death Knights

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Talents, Death Knight, (Death Knight) Lichborne, Cataclysm, Worgen, Goblin

Lichborne: What Cataclysm might mean for Death Knights originally appeared on WoW.com on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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