You are here: Home / Archives for WoW

The SWTOR effect? Blizzard lays off 600 staff

March 2, 2012 By

Over at VentureBeat, Dean Takahashi an interesting story on Blizzard Software cutting its workforce by around 600. SWTOR is cited as one impact, as is the life cycle of a long-standing MMO like World of Warcraft:

The cuts are believed to focus on the company’s community service department. World of Warcraft, the company’s flagship game, has seen its subscriber numbers fall from 12 million subscribers in 2010 to 10.2 million in the last quarter.

Atul Bagga, an analyst at Lazard Capital Markets, said in a note that the cuts were probably 20 to 30 percent of the company’s customer service staff. He said the headcount reduction is likely linked to the downward slope of World of Warcraft usage. He believes that WoW’s subscriber base will fall 300,000 to 400,000 users in the current quarter, due to churn and tougher competition from titles such as Star Wars: The Old Republic.

For what it’s worth, I don’t buy the line that SWTOR is having that much of an impact – at least yet. The life cycle issue is the much more pertinent one. At yesterday’s Australia/New Zealand launch, I heard a gaming journalist behind me say to the colleague next to him that he was underwhelmed by SWTOR because of it’s graphics – why would he play this when he has (insert latest console FPS) at home with its stunning graphics. He then went onto say it was the same reason he avoided WoW back in the time of Burning Crusade.

It’s a stark reminder of how old WoW is, and that has to be impacting subscriber numbers. Add up-and-comers like SWTOR and other MMOs on the horizon such as Guild Wars 2 and you can see there’s probably a downward trajectory for WoW. Not a terminal trajectory by any stretch however – even if SWTOR does pick up a few million more players.

Over to you: is SWTOR responsible to any great extent for the pain of layoffs over at Blizzard?

[Thanks to David K for the heads-up!]

Filed Under: News, Opinion Tagged With:

Sith Inquisitor in WoW!

October 4, 2011 By

Well, not really, but this I love this YouTube vid of a Shaman in WoW doing some serious lightning work as it’ll appear when the next WoW patch (4.3) drops. There’s certainly a similarity there!

Filed Under: Machinima, News Tagged With: ,

WoW Cataclysm: why it adds strength to SWTOR

August 22, 2009 By

The big MMO news to come out of this weekend is the trailer for the next World of Warcraft expansion, called Cataclysm. Before I start talking about it, have a look for yourself if you haven’t already:

As a WoW player, I have mixed feelings about well known areas in the game having their appearance changed so much. That aside, it looks like an excellent expansion. Here’s why I think Cataclysm adds even more fuel to growing fire that is Star Wars The Old Republic:

1. Proof of longevity

As a Warcraft player since the original 2D version in the 90′s, I’m still surprised at the longevity of the franchise. For me, WoW lore has never connected in a big way. That said, Blizzard have put some effort into that aspect and Cataclysm takes another big step in expanding the lore side of things. The Star Wars Universe arguably has the most comprehensive lore of any game franchise, so SWTOR‘s longevity appears assured. I can already picture the trailers for SWTOR‘s third expansion and it’s hard to imagine they won’t stake as bold a claim on story development as WoW has.

2. It’s about guilds

One of the touted features of Cataclysm is a new guild progression system, something that’s been totally missing in WoW to date. It’s safe to say that SWTOR is factoring in the primacy of the guild in a big way, and now they’ll have some time to watch Blizzard try their hand with increased guild functionality and learn from any glitches that occur.

3. Attractive grind

One thing WoW have improved over the years is leveling. They’ve tried to make quests a little more varied and the achievements system hasn’t hurt motivation either for a lot of people. You can be sure BioWare have scrutinised these aspects closely and have the luxury of ensuring better variety from Day 1. I for one will be disappointed if there’s not some sort of formalised achievements system – more on that in an upcoming story.

4. Alts out the nose

Any MMO needs it players coming back for more and more. Leveling up multiple characters is something common to most and WoW’s next expansion makes that even more attractive with a wider range of quests in the lower level areas. SWTOR may have a different approach to leveling but the attractiveness of creating multiple characters and leveling them is key to long-term success, if combined with compelling expansions.

The sum-up

The purpose of TOROZ isn’t to constantly compare SWTOR to WoW, but it’s fair to say WoW is the dominant MMO and they’ve both made some savvy gameplay decisions as well as delivered some dud ideas over the past five years. That evolution can only benefit up-and-comers like SWTOR, who can innovate on what’s an incredibly deep vein of MMO history.

I’d love to hear your thoughts – what about Catalcysm do you think is good evolution (or even revolution) and do you think any of it is the same old stuff?

Filed Under: Machinima, News Tagged With: ,

View from the newcomer: what I want in Star Wars The Old Republic

August 19, 2009 By

I’m really pleased to introduce Phillip, who’s going to play a key role at TOROZ as a senior writer. As a veteran gamer who wasn’t born when the first Star Wars film was released, he’ll bring a different perspective to 2010′s biggest MMO launch. He’s also new to SWTOR, which provides some insights that may be obvious to the more dedicated but very useful at a wider level.

swtor-aug09 After spending an extensive amount of time in my youth playing text based MUD’s and MUSH’s, then followed by time spent playing World of Warcraft, Guild Wars and a brief dabble in EVE, I can say that I’m looking forward to the arrival of SWTOR. There are, however, a few things I’d really like to see when I finally embark on my virtual journey in a galaxy far, far away.

It comes as no surprise that a lot of functionality provided by WoW is a good starting point when you begin making comparisons or discussing features and functionality you’d like to see in an MMO, Blizzard have pretty much set the benchmark to which other MMOs are measured. In all fairness though, WoW is starting to look a little dated and there are only so many more raid instances one can bear before the time spent playing begins to become repetitive.

SWTOR, from what has been revealed, is aiming to make a story driven game it’s unique selling point in the market. From a gamers point of view I’m really looking forward to this style of play, but I do hope that it doesn’t follow the lines of endless fetch-and-gather, kill this and return that style quests of most MMOs and actually offers real, engrossing and immersive gameplay storylines. I’m very curious to see how this can be achieved in an MMO environment while involving a mulitude of players. If anyone can pull off a story based game it’ll be Bioware and they have the track record to back it up – I’m really looking forward to what they have to offer.

Secure trading and trust in the economy is another big factor in a successful MMO in my opinion. In this arena, EVE is incomparable. On the flip-side, its economy and learning to maneuver within it to make a profit, can be a steep learning curve for the average gamer. A lot of EVE gamers believe this complexity is a good thing, and I’m not one to disagree, however this can create a barrier to entry and isn’t very conducive to casual gaming. SWTOR should appeal to all age groups so it’s a fine line for the game designers to travel, the StarWars story is one that has been appreciated by all people and of all ages and it is imperative that the game is kept accessible to all.

Guild, factions, clans, groups etc, are another factor that will surely be included in the SWTOR. It’s obvious that the two main rival parties will be the Republic and the Sith Empire and similarities can be drawn to WoW‘s Horde and Alliance. The other thing I’m curious about is “guild” type groupings. One thing I do find limiting with other MMOs is the fact that you can’t belong to several at one time. I can understand in some cases why having only one faction may be necessary, but it’s genuinely limiting for those players that want to create a character with a varied and colourful background. Some sort of reputation based scheme may work, and I’m not saying it should be as simplistic as WoW‘s reputation system, which applies to NPC’s relation to a players character. I’m thinking that being able to have affiliations with multiple factions may be an interesting concept. It will be interesting to see whether or not the Republic and Sith Empire players will be segregated in the fashion you see on WoW. I would think being able to play some kind of double agent could be another very interesting form of gameplay.

There’s also a lot of speculation at the moment surrounding the final class/race sets that will appear in the StarWars MMO. There will be much secrecy surrounding the final line-up and I’m guessing that BioWare and LucasArts will want to keep some information close to their chest as a final surprise for the public release.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: ,

The gaming challenge for SWTOR

July 31, 2009 By

This post by Xaelyn, originally written for the SWTOR discussion boards, is simply brilliant.

It’s a comprehensive, waffle-free thesis on how World of Warcraft has kept its hooks in players, and how SWTOR needs to do things a lot differently.

As a WoW player myself, there’s essentially nothing I disagree with, and like most I want to see a very different experience in the Star Wars universe. I don’t think I’m alone in saying that if BioWare swap out Murlocs for Womp Rats for grinding quests, I’ll be pretty damn disappointed. Now, I’m off to earn my next WoW achievement.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: , ,

Star Wars The Old Republic: World of Warcraft Killer?

July 20, 2009 By

swtor-july2009 One of the most common stories you’ll see, as the anticipation builds to SWTOR launching, will revolve around one question: will it be a World of Warcraft killer? As the long-standing tall poppy, there’s plenty of people that want to see WoW knocked down a peg or two. I’m not one of them, but it’s a concept worth exploring.

Like any simplistic question, it has its challenges. That said, I’m going to attempt to answer the question below. If you can’t be bothered reading it all, please vote in the poll you see to the right. The executive summary is: I think SWTOR will end up the number 1 competitor for WoW, but it won’t kill it. Here’s some more detail on how I see it:

1. An initial kick to the head

When SWTOR does launch, it’ll make one hell of a splash. The sort of splash that will rival or maybe exceed the launch of World of Warcraft. There’ll be all sorts of hyperbole from the gaming press and some pretty widespread mainstream media attention to. Expect TV news to show pictures of fans in Star Wars regalia lined up for midnight launches around the world. Expect a declaration by world leaders of an International Jedi Day, ratified by the UN. Ok, that last one may be a little far-fetched.

During this period, which will last up to three months, there’ll probbly be a noticeable hit on WoW. Just from discussions within my WoW guild, there’s a whole bunch of people who are going to want to spend some serious time in SWTOR, and most of that time will come at the expense of WoW time. The scale of the hit on WoW will come down to how well SWTOR is targeted at age groups. My guild is primarily in the over 30′s age group and there’s a lot of excitement. For the younger groups, the perceived quality of gameplay and graphic will play a bigger role in determining a shift in games.

2. The slow burn

Once the hype dies down, the real test comes when assessments are made on growth in players. This, like any MMOG, will rely heavily on playability, variety of content, how easy it is to socialise in-game and the ease with which one can get immersed in the lore. On the face of it, Star Wars has an incredibly rich story that LucasArts have taken some pains to maintain control over. It’ll be the combining that with an intuitive, outright fun game that’ll determine the ongoing success of SWTOR. Of course, saying a game needs to be playable is about as innovative as a social marketer on Twitter, but there you go. A final factor will be how emphatically SWTOR is adopted in countries like South Korea and China. Both have large and avid gaming populations and it will be their propensity to switch that could be key. I expect Starcraft 2 to play a large spoiler role in the equation worldwide as well.

3. The open marriage

Here’s where I get down to pure conjecture and the primary reason I believe SWTOR isn’t a WoW killer. The vast majority of players in the longer term aren’t going to jump to SWTOR at the expense of WoW. Those that can afford it will pay to access both on an ongoing basis, assuming SWTOR‘s pricing model is competitive. SWTOR will grow to close to WoW‘s size in a much quicker timeframe than WoW did. It may even exceed WoW‘s subscriber numbers eventually, but neither will establish an overwhelming dominance in the forseeable future. Blizzard Entertainment have five years of MMOG experience under their belt to throw new innovations and gameplay aspects at SWTOR, while BioWare undertake the huge task of establishing its own space.

4. The Sum Up

The MMOG market is so large and players so discerning, that polarising the debate by stating one option will kill another is silly. The reality is that unless BioWare make some large mistakes, Star Wars through its enormous userbase will ensure that WoW has its biggest challenge on its hands, but one it’s more than capable of meeting. It’s quite possible to have two MMOG giants in residence, particularly given that the MMOG house has grown so much over recent years.

My opinion aside, I’d love to hear your thoughts. I’ve created a poll which you’ll see on the right hand side of our web page. Or feel free to make a comment with some more detailed thoughts.

Filed Under: Opinion Tagged With: ,

Twitter