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MacGallant · Jan 25, 2003, 03:28 AM

According to an article at macgamer.com, microsoft is likely to buyout Vivendi's computer games division. Blizzard, the creators of the Diablo series & the Warcraft series, is owned by Vivendi! Both companies are in talks right now.

Could this mean the end for blizzard games on the mac?

Rats! First. Bungie and now Blizzard as well?

exca1ibur · Jan 25, 2003, 04:04 AM

Article here:
http://macgamer.com/news/item.php?id=6374

Not good!

sunriser · Jan 25, 2003, 04:11 AM

Vivendi owns Universal also... and Canal Plus (one of the most succesfull pay-tv in the world) and a lot of other things.... Vivendi is huge... and it's not good all that in the hands of M$

Jansar · Jan 25, 2003, 04:10 PM

Somebody should burn the Microsoft HQ down (like Milton in Office Space).

Al Bundy · Jan 25, 2003, 05:53 PM

Originally posted by sunriser:
Vivendi owns Universal also... and Canal Plus (one of the most succesfull pay-tv in the world) and a lot of other things.... Vivendi is huge... and it's not good all that in the hands of M$

Vivendi Universal is selling its game division only (not the other entertainment stuff like Canal Plus, etc.).

sunriser · Jan 26, 2003, 02:22 AM

thanks god... i was getting ancious about seeing Universal music (or movies) in the hands of m$... imagine universal + WMA...

Scotttheking · Jan 26, 2003, 03:18 AM

Ugg, I hope not.
I like blizzard games, but I will not support MS.
If Blizzard is bought by them, they lose me as a customer.

exca1ibur · Jan 26, 2003, 04:16 AM

Bungie flashes, Scott?

juanvaldes · Jan 26, 2003, 10:41 AM

Originally posted by Scotttheking:
Ugg, I hope not.
I like blizzard games, but I will not support MS.
If Blizzard is bought by them, they lose me as a customer.

I don't think you have to worry about that. If M$ bought Blizzard I doubt we will ever see another Blizzard game.

Pepi Picklefoot · Jan 27, 2003, 11:50 AM

Sad...indeed, Bungie used to publish their own games. And being originally a Mac-only company, when they started making PC games they at least released the Mac/PC version simultaneously.

Blizzard was the same (with the exception that it wasn't a Mac-only company.) Blizzard seemed poised to continue making simultaneous Mac/PC releases (at least since Diablo 2) for most of their very popular games (the benefits of being the creator *and* publisher of your own game).

With MS controlling them, it's unlikely we'll ever see a simultaneous release ever again. It might be unlikely that PCs get the games either. MS will surely force Blizzard to make X-Box exclusives.

Can you imagine playing Diablo or StarCraft or WarCraft using a frickin' console gamepad? It's almost as silly as playing Halo with a gamepad.

Thanks MS*...you really know how to kill good game companies and good games.

* This is a pre-emptive sarcastic thanks in the likely scenario that MS buys Blizzard. Ignore this post in part or in its entirety if this scenario never occurs.

exca1ibur · Jan 27, 2003, 11:12 PM

I have to agree with you there. Also, Halo should have been out 3 years ago. We all know Bungie died when they sold out.

andycroll · Jan 28, 2003, 10:36 AM

No offence everyone but Halo *is* a frickin' good game (even with the joypad) and unfortunately the Xbox is a good machine. As is the PS2, as is the Gamecube.

I'm beginning to think the whole home computer games market is stagnant anyway, another FPS... yippee!

Surely the console market is actually maturing to a point where the games are astonishing (you've all played Vice City I hope) and games consoles are a fraction of the price of a Mac or even a PC.

Obviously there will always be games (and some that won't work well on the consoles) for the PC and Mac but this generation of consoles are powerful & cheap enough that there is no need to produce the volume of games for the home computer. The economics don't work for the developers anymore really either!

Anyway that's a good point badly made...

Andy

andycroll · Jan 28, 2003, 10:51 AM

doubled

exca1ibur · Jan 28, 2003, 04:59 PM

Remember Halo wasn't suppose to be a FPS. It was suppose to be 3rd person multiplayer and it was completely changed and moved to the X-Box as a FPS shooter. Console systems are great to fill that gaming void I totally agee agree. What the Mac lacks my PS2 picks up just fine.

BTW: I have Vice City. That game is GREAT! Gotta love that one. Nothing like doing a drive-by on a scooter.

Elvin · Jan 28, 2003, 05:34 PM

To me, it felt like Bungie dropped the ball on their last two games.

Oni was supposed to be a go anywhere, do anything karate game, and turned out to be follow the dotted line and use bigger and bigger guns or you're toast. The original concept was that there would only be a few guns and rarely used. I know concepts change, but by the time the game was actually released, it really wasn't different then anything else on the market.

Same with Halo... they had the right direction with the third person style, however now after playing the entire FPS on an X-Box, I found it kind of lacking. Take the library levels for example...just room after room of baddies, where is the fun in that?

When they did the Marathon Trillogy, I think Bungie was at their peak. The Mac community was gathering behind the game, because it was well crafted. An excellent story line that actually engrossed you, and gameplay that was fun.

Hey if MS can take Bungie from us, how about Apple taking Blizzard from them

SirCastor · Jan 29, 2003, 01:57 PM

I think if MS is buying Bungie, they're buying it for World of Warcraft. The Xbox has a strong support for it's Live Service. If they throw in some similance of a Single player campaign, they're set. Same thing if they grab the rights to Starcraft: Ghost... That's already being written for the consol, they'll just make it an XBox exclusive.

AlanApple · Feb 1, 2003, 08:04 AM

Having a strong line up of games is a big plus in selling to the consumer market. With $4.4 billion in the bank it is a wonder Apple doesn't protect this market and buy a games company.

bradoesch · Feb 5, 2003, 01:01 PM

Originally posted by AlanApple:
Having a strong line up of games is a big plus in selling to the consumer market. With $4.4 billion in the bank it is a wonder Apple doesn't protect this market and buy a games company.

Interesting thought. I bet it Apple thought the Mac game industry was in trouble (I suppose that's debatable right now) they might take action and buy a company, or perhaps produce their own games (?).

kentuckyfried · Feb 5, 2003, 01:09 PM

I agree. That along with ETS too.

Originally posted by Jansar:
Somebody should burn the Microsoft HQ down (like Milton in Office Space).

pumpkinapo · Feb 5, 2003, 05:36 PM

ETS?

Originally posted by kentuckyfried:
I agree. That along with ETS too.

rampant · Feb 5, 2003, 07:13 PM

The article was a hoax.