Here's another one from the files of things we've desired/dreaded for years. In a post-DICE
interview with Blizzard cofounder Frank Pearce, MTV learned that Blizzard is definitely thinking about making some kind of mobile
WoW interface. He says it would probably just allow you to chat and monitor auctions and mail, without actually being able to buy and sell things. Still, I don't think I'm exaggerating much when I say hundreds of thousands of players would use an app like that. When last this was
discussed here on WoW Insider, many of you were of the opinion that a mobile
WoW would be yet another infringement on our already dwindling time for "real life," and that's a definite threat, but ultimately I think it's just as easy (or as hard) to exercise self-control on a cell phone as on a PC.
Other fun news from that interview:
- Players in Taiwan have the shortest wait time for tickets
- Blizz is working on a way to stream a trial version of WoW so people who want to try the game can be playing in 10 minutes.
Is that even possible? Edit: Apparently, not only possible but already achieved. Magic!
- Wrath "should feel at least as substantial as BC"
- The movie was delayed by the just-ended WGA strike, but the project is now running again and looking for directors. Pearce: "When we talk about the quality of our movie and the quality of the movie we want to see delivered, we're talking about the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. That's what we want to deliver, that kind of epic experience." Yeah, good luck with that.
[via
Joystiq]
Tags: cell-phone, frank-pearce, interview, iphone, mobile, warcraft, world-of-warcraft, wow, wow-lite
Filed under: Blizzard, Interviews, Hardware
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ryan Feb 13th 2008 3:39PM
I can't think of anything that would ruin wow quicker than a Uwe Boll directed schlock-fest, which any video game movie invariably turns out to be.
The best thing they could do would be to have whoever does their CG cinematics to do a full animated feature.
Tim Feb 13th 2008 3:44PM
it wouldn't be a bad idea, and it may even be cheaper than said "epic" moviemaking.
vitasoy Feb 13th 2008 3:41PM
I wouldnt mind farming at work, my real work.
I wouldnt mind a pixelated 2d representation of myself.
simplehiker Feb 13th 2008 3:42PM
I have always wondered why the do not offer offgame access to chat rooms, more exactly guild chat. They could also do off line ingame mail and auction house.
Shumina Feb 13th 2008 3:45PM
Adding an AH feature without letting viewers bid or buyout is only minimally effective. Otherwise you're only checking for things you anxiously want and then drool over while you rush home to log in...to find out it's been bought out.
Can't 50-50 this. Either allow complete AH access on mobile or don't bother at all.
Shelby Feb 13th 2008 3:46PM
I'd definately take advantage of "out of game" gchat or checking auctions/mail. It'd fill the gaps between reading WoWInsider.com articles while I'm sitting at work.
Poddo Feb 13th 2008 3:47PM
"Yeah, good luck with that."
*tries to take off fanboy hat*
Why? Do we really think Blizzard needs luck to produce something of AAA quality? The movie will be "done when its ready," and when its ready it will most likely be of whatever quality they set forth to create. I, for one, cannot wait.
Vylemacer Feb 13th 2008 3:54PM
By the time the movie is finally fishished, do you think WoW will be as big as it is now? I assume it will depend on the success of WotLK.
Alchemistmerlin Feb 13th 2008 4:09PM
Let's say the movie comes out while the game is still hugely popular. results:
1) Good movie: Slight increase in traffic, maybe even large increase in traffic if it's really good, big deal but not that big a deal.
2) Bad movie: Maybe a slight loss in traffic, probably nothing significant, but significant cash drain.
Or if they wait until the game has lost some popularity, people have moved on to new games, sales have started dipping
1) good movie: Huge jump in traffic, people returning to old characters "Just for a month" and getting hooked again. New people come as well.
2) Bad movie: Those old players, despite the movie being crap, still come back "just to see what's changed" because the campy crap reminded them of good times in Azeroth, small rise in traffic.
Frankly, if I were doing this, I'd wait until the game had died a bit before putting out the movie.
Dave Feb 13th 2008 4:05PM
Blizzard is owned by NBC Universal. So, i dont see why they would have a problem making a movie.
As far as a LOTRO kind of epic....who wasnt thinking that in the first place?
Eleazar Feb 13th 2008 5:40PM
Uh? I work for NBC Universal, and no, the company doesn't own Blizzard.
NBC Uni is owned by GE.
Blizzard is owned by Vivendi, which may have a little stake in NBC Uni, but it certainly doesn't own it and definitely has no part its in operation.
Extremitus Feb 13th 2008 4:07PM
Not to get too lowbrow, but I think it's only a matter of looking at World of Whorecraft to see what incredible digital effects can be used in a WoW scenario :P
Really though, of course people will go to see a WoW movie even if WotLK is a huge flop, it's not like the LotR books were fresh off the presses when the movies came out, and the longer they take then (presumably) the better is going to be and look. If the moviemakers take the Blizzard theory of release it when it's ready, it'll be a masterpiece. Let's face it, if it's a tenth as good as the WC3 cinematics ended up being it'll be worth a watch. Any FF7 fans in the house that wanna quote some Advent Children?
Trial in 10 mins would be GREAT if it works, as one of my more foolish friends was unable to negotiate his way through the sign-up screen for the current trial (he's an avid gamer and i have given him no end of abuse about this) but the short attention spans of gamers mean that if you can just plug and play them they'll be far more likely to be so impressed by that that the game looks 10x better :)
ninjasuperspy Feb 13th 2008 4:10PM
Man, haven't they already made the World of Warcraft movie? Tales of the something or other?
I kid, I kid. But anyway. Mobile WoW? I don't want to add a data plan to my mobile service, but I do want a smartphone. Who am I kidding, I'd love to run my AH mule off of a secondary connection. Oh well, that's more money down the drain.
Havblue Feb 13th 2008 4:13PM
Advent Children was NOT worth a watch!
Sean Riley Feb 13th 2008 4:15PM
OK, hear me out. But hearing they want to shoot for "epic quality" experience sends shivers up my spine.
Because it's not LotR they should be aiming for. It's Harry Potter.
I said hear me out!
Warcraft is far from the most serious fantasy universe. It's far from the most silly, either. But it has goblins. Gnomes. We have engineers. More pop culture references than you can shake a stick at.
I'm not saying all of that stuff needs to come across into Warcraft: The Movie. The pop culture references, fun in the game, would be jarring in a film. Gnomes and goblins could be turned down, perhaps.
But let's say we pitch it at simply the story from Warcraft 3 of Arthas's downfall. (I think that, so far, would be far and away the best storyline for a film.) We still have the dumb as rocks ogre mercenaries. The goblin zeppelin engineers. We can have jocular joking around between Arthas and Uther. In fact, we SHOULD have jocular joking around between Arthas and Uther, to set up the orcish uprisings as 'business as usual', so that the undead plague can be deadly serious, and disturbing.
Harry Potter (especially the later, darker books) is a closer match to this style of fantasy. Terry Pratchet lies a fair ways to the sillier side of it, but can veer right on into the same territory. The Princess Bride veers lighter. The correct mood really is closest to later Harry Potter -- Dark but quirky.
Now, the tone, of course, is completely different. There should be bloodshed and violence, it should be brutal. But to bring it to LotR eloquence and elegance would detract from the quirky unique universe that Warcraft is. Let's hope it stays well preserved.
ninjasuperspy Feb 13th 2008 4:22PM
Good point. I'd hate to see a deadly serious completely "epic" movie made in the WoW universe. I mean this is the game with exploding sheep (as far back as the RTS) and significant ties to completely anachronistic Steampunk elements.
All three of your examples are right on the money. A "Night Watch" or "The Truth" feel wouldn't be too far off. Also, I was actually surprised at the quality of the later Harry Potter novels, and I think that the "Humorous characters in a serious situation" thing should be similarly handled in a WoW movie.
Sean Riley Feb 13th 2008 5:01PM
"The Truth" is possibly a shade lighter than I think WoW suits. But Night Watch, yeah, that's dead on. I think of all the Terry Pratchet novels, that might be the closest to WoW in terms of mood and feel. "The Fifth Elephant" also ends with an act that is at least as shocking and frightening as Arthas's betrayal, in a surprisingly different context.
Icediamond Feb 13th 2008 4:16PM
Actually, Blizzard (Activision-Blizzard) is owned by Vivendi SA, which also owns NBC-Universal...so they're pretty much on par in the hierarchy...
Eleazar Feb 13th 2008 5:44PM
FAIL.
NBC Universal is owned by GE, not Vivendi. Vivendi has a 20% stake in the company, but is not involved in any way, shape or form of running its day-to-day operations. GE owns the other 80% and runs the company.
And yes, I work for NBC Uni.
pantherchild Feb 13th 2008 4:22PM
Wonder when they'll have the PTR for the movie up...
/I wish!