World of Starcraft could still be the next-gen MMO
by Michael Gray 
Jul 3rd 2008 at 2:00PM
Arena Junkies picked up an interesting tidbit by comparing two different interviews. Rob Pardo, Blizzard's EVP of Game Design, gave an interview to Onlinewelten in which he talks about the next-gen MMO. That interview isn't exactly news on its own. We knew since Diablo III was announced at the WWI that it probably isn't the new MMO, and Pardo confirms that in the interview. "..Diablo 3 isn't an MMO," Pardo says, "So we have another development team."
But what is that new MMO being developed? Some speculate it could be an entirely new property. Well, Paul Sams, Blizzard's Chief Operating Officer, has an interview with Gamasutra that indicates no new IPs are coming soon. "Are we ever going to release a new [franchise]?" Sams says, "I would absolutely say we will at some point. I just don't know when that day will be quite yet."
Okay, so Blizzard's still working on a MMO, but there's no new IP on the horizon. So, what's the next-gen MMO going to be? World of Warcraft 2? World of Starcraft? And if Diablo 3 isn't considered an MMO, then is there a possibility of a World of Diablo? For me, this just means that my hopes of Tauren Marines aren't yet dead.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, News items
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Linkage Jul 3rd 2008 2:05PM
I call WoLV
jake Jul 3rd 2008 2:11PM
Beat me to it.
LFOlaf 4 Tomator raid
jrb Jul 3rd 2008 3:23PM
i'm thinking starcraft ghost, online. maybe with a name that doesn't suck as much as that, but still the same thing.
MechChef Jul 3rd 2008 2:06PM
Tip: There is no cow level.
DigitalMonitor Jul 3rd 2008 2:12PM
What about Thunder Bluff?
Jusk Jul 3rd 2008 2:06PM
That really means nothing. If they have only started in the past year, they may have not even decided on a subject for the MMO. Seems to me that the next-gen MMO is all about being prepared to get back on top of things when WoW is well past its hayday, rather than a concrete project with a clear outcome.
Eternalpayn Jul 3rd 2008 2:07PM
World of Pandaren, no doubt about it. You heard it here first.
Kellerune Jul 3rd 2008 2:08PM
We will still get Tauren Marines. In SC2. Whether or not they will be official blizzard made ones is to be seen. But I know some programmers who would jump on making a tauren marine faster than the gun blizz said the marine would have.
O and hurray World of Starcraft.
peaglemancer Jul 3rd 2008 2:09PM
World of Captain Placeholder II
Anywhere, Anytime, One-Click.
Todd Jul 3rd 2008 2:13PM
As long as my $15 a month works for both games I'm fine with anything.
Mindstrike Jul 3rd 2008 3:56PM
Agreed.. See CoH/CoV, and Sony Station.
Then again.. corporations love to hit the "Greed" Roll a lot more.
;)
Jesse Jul 3rd 2008 2:18PM
now that they've merged with activision, I want World of Mechwarrior...
Shogun Jul 3rd 2008 2:19PM
Who else was at the WWI when Samwise hinted at World of Starcraft during their set?
Went something like:
"ok, so we've done some World of Warcraft songs... how about a World of Starcraft song, I mean something set in the World of Starcraft, who'd like to play WoS?"
*big cheers*
Means nothing of course, but might as well add to the rumor mill :D
"Oh, no one? Hey *blizzdevguy* lets cancel that one, no interest"
Shogun Jul 3rd 2008 2:20PM
Can't edit, but my comment about the rumor mill should be at the bottom (down one line) my bad
ackthbbft Jul 3rd 2008 2:33PM
World of Diablo? Wasn't that what Hellgate:London was supposed to be? Same dev team as D/D2, I believe.
Buffalodave Jul 3rd 2008 2:39PM
World of Call of Duty!
WoCoD
Tuhljin Jul 3rd 2008 4:11PM
"Are we ever going to release a new [franchise]?" Sams says, "I would absolutely say we will at some point. I just don't know when that day will be quite yet."
Considering that Blizzard doesn't "know when [the] day will be" that any of their upcoming projects will be released, whether WotLK or SC2 or D3, this statement means nothing. It could be a new IP or it could be one they've already got.
dAnixx Jul 3rd 2008 4:48PM
I dont think there will be a starcraft MMO. It probably would weaken WoW, so, if it is a MMO, i hope its World of Warcraft 2 :D
Ichthus Jul 3rd 2008 5:12PM
Releasing an MMO franchise that's in the swords and spells fantasy world would just be adding another to a long list of the same. However, doing a futuristic MMO using Starcraft? The pool is much smaller and with Blizzard's notoriety behind it, the pull should be fairly decent.
Gorysh, lvl60 Undead Rogue: Greymane Jul 3rd 2008 5:14PM
Here's my opinion:
1) No way in hell is the new Blizzard MMO going to be new IP. Think about it... is Blizzard really going to spend millions investing in a new MMO (time/effort, people, equipment, etc.) that is unproven as a popular, much less financially viable title? Of course not.
2) World of Warcraft 2? Doubtful; not until they see the current WOW floundering, which is probably at least 5-10 years off.
3) The most likely candidate is Universe (not World) of StarCraft. Think about it... there are no "giant" sci-fi MMOs like WOW (not even Eve, which according to Wikipedia has around 220K active accounts) which would make Blizzard a standout in a new MMO genre. Also, StarCraft is not only wildly popular, but monetarily successful franchise as well.