For 20 years, I have witnessed the rise and fall of the blizzard, and if there are post-90s generations in this room, then I believe that many people will be like me, and they will not sleep all night last night.
First of all, I'm sorry that I can't finish this content from an objective point of view, and I hope that you can tolerate our drumming behavior.
If you don't understand what Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard means to us, then please be patient and listen to me.
How many gamers believe
In 2002, set-top boxes began to be widely promoted, and many channels that had not been seen before appeared, one of which was "game stuff".
It was then that I first came into contact with Warcraft 3 and StarCraft.
In that big block screen computer, scroll mouse, floppy disk download, there was a year when Celeron could walk sideways, but there were no conditions, and the only way I had contact with PC games was except tv and newsstand magazines.
The rise of many events in Blizzard's two major RTSs, and the posters plastered on the streets, have played a pivotal role in my gaming career.
From the establishment of Blizzard's predecessor Silicon & Synapse in 1991, to the birth of their first game " Rock Racing " , to the success of success , the twists and turns, brilliance and bitterness are full of yearning.
(Former Blizzard Main Beauty)
Blizzard's most powerful thing is not how successful the IP has been, nor has it helped Vivendi's game department turn a profit, and a group of game-loving designers have figured out many industry standards for latecomers.
(One of Blizzard's founders)
For example, when developing StarCraft, the original version was nothing more than a "space version of Warcraft 2", but after a show failure, Blizzard immediately abandoned all the original content, turned the focus to a high-end asymmetric perspective, and then used a few months to help "StarCraft" make a new engine.
(Original StarCraft)
After StarCraft and Warcraft 3, Blizzard's independently conceived MMO World of Warcraft reached an "industry benchmark" in almost every way, raising the MMO ceiling to a very terrifying level.
Immediately after, Star 2 replaced Star 1 and Warcraft 3 to succeed RTS overlords, and Hearthstone swept away most of the card game.
In addition, in terms of the narrative level of the story alone (the level is not the plot), few manufacturers can surpass Blizzard.
Blizzard's original vision was quite ambitious, and they hoped that after the departure of the top brass, Blizzard's game would still be able to maintain the level of world leadership;
How many people go to work not just to pay their bills with their wages, but also to get a sense of credit from their company's logo?
At least that's the case with the original blizzard.
And who can be expected to save
As Bobby Courtik 's ( Blizzard ) body becomes more "rounded", Blizzard's business conditions are also deteriorating.
Perhaps anyone with a discerning eye can see that this time Microsoft's acquisition of riots is completely aimed at Activision and Call of Duty; but everyone also needs to know that in the period from 2002 to 2008, Activision completely relied on COD in the hard support, and Blizzard's "World of Warcraft" although only as a PC online game, but with its own efforts to revitalize the entire Vivendi game that has been losing money for many years.
And Activision, or rather, Kautik's focus is on World of Warcraft's strong market share and excellent revenue.
Everyone may think that Blizzard's decay was caused by Vivendi, but in fact, Kautik, a capital ghost who killed all the way from EA's layers of encirclement with Activision, is the real culprit who squeezed Blizzard.
The first five owners, including Vivendi, have given Blizzard absolute autonomy in the development process, and it is not difficult to see from the original team of the IW group of the "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare" series being forced away, how Kautik used the same means to force out the Blizzard producers and then hold the copyright in his hands.
(Blizzard's first owner Davison)
It happened that in 2014, when Kautik would buy back the riot, Blizzard's "worst expansion pack in history" King of Draenor was released, and at this time, Kautik's shareholding ratio was 77%, and it can be said that riot is his word.
Although the reputation of the riot is getting worse and worse, the company's stock price is getting higher and higher, and The fat of Kautik is also increasing visibly.
Actiës Blizzard, which Kautik took over, made more money, and employees were impressed, and then hundreds of Blizzard employees left the place they once called the coolest every year.
"The King of Draenor, the Worst Expansion Pack in the World", "The Legion Of Draenor Is Coming Again", "Traces of Dark 3 Rush", "Waterloo of the Storm Heroes", "Overwatch's Good Hand of Cards", "Don't You Have Cell Phones", one stupid thing after another continues to lower Blizzard's reputation.
So that in 2021, those players who have turned from powder to black, including me, want to see the most: please Blizzard to destroy quickly, at least leave a decent "legacy" for these old IPs.
If you want to ask Microsoft's acquisition of Blizzard, what is the mentality of Blizzard and Blizzard?
I can only say that Blizzard is like his own sister, unfortunately married to Kautik, a violent man, and then became increasingly emaciated and seriously ill, whether he scolded her verbally or defended her, he actually cared about her.
Now that Microsoft is willing to pay a lot of money to rescue us, we "family members" are standing at the door of the ICU intensive care unit at this time...
PS: I got the XSX that night without even thinking about it; if Microsoft can kick Coatick out, then I will be absolutely loyal to XGP!