Diablo III and Sagas , sequels, etc wat eve

Activision Blizzard released its Form 10-K Annual Report for the fiscal year ended on 31 December 2009 to inform investors of several strategies to milk [increase the revenue] of all the franchises across their portfolio.

While not all players know much of finances, NASDAQ, or Exchange Commission babble, this fiscal year report slipped an interesting clue at what’s cooking behind the neosteel-reinforced walls of Blizzard Entertainment.

The overview section of this Activision Blizzard investors document might imply the Irvine studio has more than one Diablo game on its tinker table. In short, Diablo III might not be the only Diablo game in development, or there are early plans for more in the future. Here is an excerpt from the report released on March 1, 2010.

“Blizzard has released two expansion packs to World of Warcraft;  World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and World o fWarcraft: Wrath of the Lich King. Blizzard is currently developing new games, including a new expansion pack to the World of Warcraft franchise, Cataclysm,  StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, which will be released with the new and improved Battle.net, and [sequels] to the Diablo franchise.”

Blizzard Entertainment is currently developing five games:

1. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
2. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
3. Diablo III
4. Untitled Next-Gen MMO
5. Brand-new IP game

 

Back in August 2008, Jay Wilson told MTV the following statement:

“We also tried to focus a little more on bringing characters back, and not just from ‘Diablo II’ but from ‘Diablo I,’” he said. “We feel like a lot of the focus is on ‘Diablo II’ but ‘Diablo I ’started it all and has a lot of really good stuff on the gameplay side and on the character side. So people can expect to see characters from‘Diablo I,’ more characters from ‘Diablo II,’ and characters from some of the books. We’re definitely going to bring a few of them in.” And while “Diablo III” ends the trilogy, fans needn’t worry — it’s not the final curtain for “Diablo.” “We’re not saying this is the end of the ‘Diablo’ universe, but we are trying to bring this storyline to a close,” Wilson said. “It’s not just ‘Diablo III’ — we’ve got plans beyond.”

Here is an excerpt straight from the Diablo: The Sin War trilogy which reveals there are more worlds out there beyond Sanctuary that might be open for exploration during the battle between the forces of angels and demons.

“The gateway was nearly complete, and then the voices struck him from all directions. You cannot! You cannot! You cannot! At the same time, the gateway disintegrated despite his best efforts to keep it from doing so. Filled with an unaccustomed anger, he confronted the voices. This is my burden! This is my duty! You have no say in this, none of you! There was a moment of silence, and then, together, they responded. But we do … this goes beyond Sanctuary now. Beyond all of us who stand sentinel.

The dragon Trag’Oul grew wary. How so? How can that be?.

Their words struck him as nothing else could. “Because the war is coming to Sanctuary, and if you interfere with what the Balance demands, it and all existence may be forfeit.”

They left him, then, all the others who stood guard as he did over their separate worlds, left him with the knowledge that it was his Sanctuary whose imminent fate might decide theirs. — The Veiled Prophet, page 168.

We appreciate the interest, but we don’t have any new announcements to make. For the Diablo franchise, our full focus is on Diablo III.

Upon reaching Blizzard Entertainment today for an official statement concerning the 10-K Annual Report’s slip  (i.e. and [sequels] to the Diablo franchise) Blizzard’s response is:

Whether the Next-Gen MMO turns out to be StarCraft: Ghost Online, Diablo: Sanctuary Online or something else, one thing is clear. Blizzard Entertainment is the best at what they do enriching their worlds with tie-in novels.

Bad Company 2 MP Demo Out Now On 360, PS3 Soon

A demo for the upcoming destructible shooter, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has been released. Although it doesn’t feature any of the single player from the game, the multiplayer aspect of the game is a huge component of this franchise, and now you can destroy AND completely total buildings, load up this demo and obliterate your way to victory.

The demo is out right now for Xbox 360 owners weighing in at 1.4GB on the Marketplace. But PS3 owners will have to wait until Feb 4 in Europe and Feb 11 in North America to get a shot at this demo.

VGAs : Uncharted 2 Wins Game of the Year

Sony should be proud with the results of this years VGAs. The PS3 claimed a number of different awards including game of the year

The grand title went to a well deserved Uncharted 2, along with best PS3 game and best graphics. The game is fantastic and defiantly a deserving winner.

Best Xbox 360 game went to Left 4 Dead 2; best Wii game went to New Super Mario Bros Wii and best PC game went to Dragon Age: Origins.

A full list of the awards can be found below including best shooter, best RPG, and so on…

Game of the Year: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Studio of the Year: Rocksteady Studios
Best Independent Game: Flower
Best Xbox 360 Game: Left 4 Dead 2
Best PS3 Game: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Wii Game: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Best PC Game: Dragon Age: Origins
Best Handheld Game: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Best Shooter: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Best Fighting Game: Street Fighter IV
Best Action Adventure Game: Assassin’s Creed II
Best RPG: Dragon Age: Origins
Best Multiplayer Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Best Individual Sports Game: UFC 2009 Undisputed
Best Team Sports Game: NHL 10
Best Driving Game: Forza Motorsport 3
Best Music Game: The Beatles: Rock Band
Best Soundtrack: DJ Hero
Best Original Score: Halo 3: ODST
Best Graphics: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Best Game Based On A Movie/TV Show: South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!
Best Performance By A Human Female: Megan Fox (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
Best Performance By A Human Male: Hugh Jackman (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Best Cast: X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Best Voice: Jack Black (Brütal Legend) [Nolan North!?!? - Ed]
Best Downloadable Game: Shadow Complex
Best DLC: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
Most Anticipated Game of 2010: God of War III

Diablo 3 ! (Blizzard Explains Diablo 3, III Delay)

Fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of Diablo III since Blizzard announced the title in the summer of 2008. Now, already a full year and a half after being announced, the release date for Diablo III is still completely up in the air, with a 2010 release seeming nigh impossible.

Speaking with Techland, Rob Pardo, executive vice president of game design at Blizzard, explained the wait.

“We always announce all of our games too early. We realize that and go, ‘You know what? Next time we’re not going to do that.’ And then we always fail at that. But I’d rather fail at that than fail at making the game great. I think it’s safe to say that, yeah, [Diablo III] is not going to be out next year.”

But before a war erupts between gaming groups, Pardo made sure to explain that it wasn’t due to a lack of focus, or varying priorities that Diablo III is taking so long to finish, as each of Blizzard’s current projects (including Starcraft II and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm) “has individual development teams.”

“We just have a different process and approach than a lot of other studios, and it makes it a very difficult process for us to predict street dates when we’re multiple years out,” Pardo added, “We’ve been wrong [about release dates] for as long as I can remember. So that’s why don’t do release dates anymore.”

thanks to:

http://www.endsights.com/news/10784/blizzard-explains-diablo-iii-delay/

This is a gameplay video !

Ubisoft reports $109 million loss

Ubisoft is the latest vidgamemaker to prove that publishers are just as dependent on high-profile franchises as Hollywood’s major studios.

The French company, whose “Prince of Persia” series is being readied as a tentpole for Disney next summer, reported a $109 million loss on $232 million in sales during the first half of its fiscal year due to a lack of major titles.

To reverse the hit on its bottom line, Ubisoft said it plans to release “Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands” as a new installment in the franchise in May for consoles and handheld devices.

While game’s release will be timed with the Memorial Day bow of the Mouse House’s “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,” produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, new title will not include elements from the film. Instead it will be based on a new storyline that advances the plot of the original “Sands of Time” game.

Title will target hardcore and casual gamers in order to “reach both audiences,” said Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, in order to attract new gamers to the property.The second half of Ubisoft’s fiscal year, which wraps up at the end of March, is expected to prove more lucrative, considering its medieval actioner “Assassin’s Creed II” sold 1.6 million units worldwide during its first week of release last week. That’s 32% up on what the first game sold during its initial bow in 2007.

It’s the latest tentpole game to perform well, with “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2″ earning a record $550 million during its first week for Activision Blizzard.

New Prince of Persia, May 2010

Prince Of Persia To Return In Forgotten Sands, May 2010

Hopefully this game better than last….

 

Ubisoft today revealed it is developing a new Prince of Persia game, titled The Forgotten Sands, for consoles and handhelds.

The game, scheduled for release in May 2010, will revisit the storyline of the popular 2003 Prince of Persia game The Sands of Time and its two sequels, promising the return of “fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations.”

May 2010 is also the current release window for the Disney-produced live action Mike Newell film based on The Sands of Time, starring Jake Gyllenhall. Although Ubisoft did not specify how or whether the new title would tie into the movie launch, the company has strongly pursued a cross-media film and game strategy with other franchises.

“The goal is to reach both…core and casual gamers,” explained CEO Yves Guillemot on the company’s first-half results call to investors. He promised “lots of combat,” but stressed the aim of serving beginner-level gamers as well.

“We are trying to cover both groups,” he said

 

 

No Diablo III in 2010

In an interview with Techland, Pardo says not to expect Diablo III in 2010. “I think it’s safe to say that, yeah, [it] is not going to be out next year.”

While disappointing, it shouldn’t come as too much a shock. Blizzard has a history of long delays; moreover, the developer pledged a 2010 for StarCraft II, having long ago claimed that it would be released before Diablo III.

Don’t forget the next World of Warcraft expansion pack, Cataclysm, which is being furiously worked on for debut sometime next year too.

Diablo 3 , III !!!!!!!!

FOLLOW ME ON MY NEW TWITTER: www.twitter.com/fenderx

Now I’m Angry !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The action RPG title won’t come in 2010 and could drop as late as 2014, depending on your definition of “few.”

During a presentation in New York from Activision Blizzard’s chief financial officer, Thomas Tippl, it was revealed that Diablo III will not be released in 2010. In a slide entitled “Blizzard Lineup Drives Growth” there are three columns with the labels “2009,” “2010″ and “Next Few Years.” StarCraft II and Cataclysm made the 2010 column, but firmly in the catch-all last column is the much-anticipated Diablo III.