Difference between Blizzard and GGG

GGG designed and built a product that met a demand in the marketplace. Namely a more cerebral arpg that included character build customization, with a dark gritty atmosphere. Listening to the community and responding to ideas, they treated the (potential) customers as partners or at least as a sounding board for what the game should be.

Blizzard on the other hand seems to have built a product that a significant number of its community members have serious complaints about. Blizzard responds by essentially telling the community that it's wrong. They built a product, then have to convince the market that this is what they SHOULD want. Right now I get the feeling that there is a very antagonistic relationship now between blizzard and its customer base, which is quite sad.

You can tell a huge difference in the way that Chris and others communicate with the community on the forums to how Blizzard communicates. GGG actually answering questions as though they are speaking to you. Blizzard posts feel much more like PR releases, even on their forums. Granted, the battlenet forums have a MUCH larger population, but I don't think that should matter.

In fact, even with a smaller player base and employees, I bet that GGG is more active on their forums than blizzard is on theirs. Blue posts are relatively rare, while GGG posts and responds on nearly a daily basis it seems.

Sigh. When did Blizzard tell anyone they're wrong? If people don't like Diablo 3, they don't have to buy it. If people do choose to buy Diablo 3, who are you to say they're doing so because they've been told to, rather than because they simply want to as with any other game they buy? This narrative you're inventing is pretty transparent.

You're never going to make a product that everyone wants to pay for. That doesn't mean there's some horrible flaw in the game development process.

Similarly, while I very much appreciate GGG's level of engagement with the community, I don't hold anything against Blizzard for being less talkative on the forums (if indeed they are - I don't visit the battle.net boards). Just as I'd never demand a painter chat to me about every aspect of their painting rather than sitting down and working on it; if Blizzard, or any other developer, wants to stay quiet while they work, that's their business.

No, most of the "antagonism" I see is nothing to do with Blizzard, it's from self-important "fans" who have yet to really learn that they're just one person on a planet of billions, and that no developer is in any way obligated to give them what they want.

On the bright side nowadays we have Youtube, so the people who want to know how the story plays out can just watch someone else do it for free.

Else in older days if you were already invested with the story, you felt obligated to pay to actually see what happens next.

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Blizzard on the other hand seems to have built a product that a significant number of its community members have serious complaints about.

nah, it's called vocal minority.
I don't read a lot of bitching after the open beta and their 300k concurrent players.

A huge company vs a small new company. Of course GGG is going to be friendly as heck on the forums and in game. They are small enough to do this and they need to do this. This game needs to be successful long term.


Blizzard has people (other than the devs) to do the jobs which the devs are doing in POE on the forums / in game.

Blizzard forums are filled with so much bull crap that 99% of it doesn't even deserve a read by a blue so why should they even reply?

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kodr wrote:

I don't read a lot of bitching after the open beta and their 300k concurrent players.

let me fix that

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kodr wrote:

I don't read a lot

lol the only difference is the amount of money in their bank accounts. you guys sure are delusional. besides with millions of fans compared to PoEs few thousand(which an even smaller percentage regularly post) its much easier to get involved in the community but you look at blizz which has millions of fans. its simply impossible to address everything and probably not a good idea to do so as speculation often becomes out of control over there and a blue saying one thing will lead to all kinds of idiots crying the sky is falling and reading way to much into it.

I like these guys too(they got me to spend 25 bucks on a unfinished game not something i do regularly) they are small group that made a pretty awesome D2 clone. I plan on coming back to this after i conquer D3(hopefully by then the game will be officially out or at least in open beta).

And your claims that a majority of players are unhappy with the changes in D3 is nonsense. I know they exist but be honest D3 will be a massive success and a hell of a lot of fun if you can get past this thought that customization can only be done with stats points Diablo 3 has and will continue to prove that wrong.

only a small % of players read forums (evan less D3 players as its for dumbed down players)..Blizzard know this and thay know thay will sell bucket loads of copys at $50 each..Blizzard go for quantity over quality(quality is just ok)

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Bonan wrote:

only a small % of players read forums (evan less D3 players as its for dumbed down players)..Blizzard know this and thay know thay will sell bucket loads of copys at $50 each..Blizzard go for quantity over quality(quality is just ok)

Yup, that's why they delayed the game for practically 2 whole years.
Because they wanted to produce a shitty product and make fast cash on it.

Makes sense.

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derbefrier wrote:

lol the only difference is the amount of money in their bank accounts. you guys sure are delusional. besides with millions of fans compared to PoEs few thousand(which an even smaller percentage regularly post) its much easier to get involved in the community but you look at blizz which has millions of fans. its simply impossible to address everything and probably not a good idea to do so as speculation often becomes out of control over there and a blue saying one thing will lead to all kinds of idiots crying the sky is falling and reading way to much into it.

I like these guys too(they got me to spend 25 bucks on a unfinished game not something i do regularly) they are small group that made a pretty awesome D2 clone. I plan on coming back to this after i conquer D3(hopefully by then the game will be officially out or at least in open beta).

And your claims that a majority of players are unhappy with the changes in D3 is nonsense. I know they exist but be honest D3 will be a massive success and a hell of a lot of fun if you can get past this thought that customization can only be done with stats points Diablo 3 has and will continue to prove that wrong.

Just because it's popular, doesn't mean it's better. Blizzard is forever doomed to make casual games until it is disbanded.