World of Warcraft Makers Reign Supreme
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Blizzard’s Warcraft WoWs Develop magazine study.
Video games studio Blizzard, makers of the online sensation World of Warcraft (WoW), are the most bankable games studio in the world, as found by a recent study.
The results were compiled after develop magazine looked at reviews, sales, and industry acclaim. Second place was given to industry old-guard Nintendo, still going strong with big sales from its flagship character Mario in Super Mario Galaxy. Rockstar North, the brains behind the Grand Theft Auto series came third, while EA Canada took up fourth spot.
Michael French, editor-in-chief at develop, said of the all conquering game : “World of Warcraft has… truly penetrated pop culture, inspiring everything from web memes to episodes of The Simpsons, showing Blizzard’s ability to not only create compelling experiences but also court user expectations.”
The list suggests that a shift in the way games are being played is evident as WoW is an exclusively online game which provides a forum for thousands of players at the same time. World of Warcraft captured the hearts and minds of millions of players as it became the first Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game (MMORPG) to achieve truly global success.
Capcom surged back into the top five with a solid year highlighted by two big titles. Lucrative releases of the much anticipated Street Fighter IV and the ever-popular Resident Evil 5 secured Capcom the fifth spot in the top 100.
Two companies who make mobile phone games also crept into the top 100 list, PopCap and Playfish coming in at 35th and 98th respectively.
Since its release in 2004 World of Warcraft has gained over 11 million subscribers. Since then, the game has spawned notable spin-offs with a board game, a DC Comics series, trading card game, and a number of fantasy novels, netting Blizzard an annual revenue of over $1.3 billion.
Part of Blizzard’s popularity is due to their determination to push the boundaries with everything they create. In particular, Blizzard cinematics have become legendary. The release of the cinematic alone for the latest WoW expansion, Wrath of the Lich King became a major event, long before the game itself was on the shelves.
Blizzard has also percolated into popular culture. Being lampooned by the likes of Southpark and The Simpsons, and getting real-life heroes such as William Shatner, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mr T to endorse their product.
Perhaps what makes Blizzard so bankable though, is that it entices players to keep coming back to the game, securing a longevity with new content. The latest raid dungeon for level 80 World of Warcraft players, Ulduar, has presented a whole host of new challenges for players to overcome and conquer, ensuring Blizzard will remain at the top of the tree for a long time to come.
I understand that the World of Warcraft is the center of an exhibition being organized by Laguna Art Museum for this summer, June 14 – October 4, 2009. They really are being taken seriously!
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Freakin’ midget Dwarfs that think they’re tough in WoW are so lame, with their little outfits and tiny bodies. People that get killed by them are losers lol.
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Hunters are the best class in WoW because they have an ability to tame random pets in the game that most characters can’t get.
The girl in the first pic above has an awesome mount. I have never seen a horse like that!
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That’s a Paladin-only mount that used to be obtained from a quest series at level 60. Now you can just buy it for gold.
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WoW sucks. Play Warhammer online.
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It is amazing how successful World of Warcraft has become. I haven’t played any other MMORPG so I can’t say it’s because WOW is just so much better.
The whole genre of online only games is something that will just keep getting better as new technologies become available and I look forward to that. On a more reasonable timeframe though I can’t wait until Blizzard release Diablo III. Now that is going to be awesome!
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I wonder which guild is going to get world firsts on all the 25-man hard modes in Ulduar, and more importantly, who will kill Algalon first?
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Better be mine!
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Warcraft, how to waste valuable time with 12-year-olds.
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If I signed up to WoW today, how long will it take me to join in on a dungeon raid like the The Iron Council?
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Different people level through the game at different speeds. It depends if you are keen to just rush through the game to hit level 80 or explore the content. Quick players with prior experience could probably get to level 80 extremely quickly, within 150 hours of play.
However, a new player will take much longer to get to grips with the game and it would likely take weeks or months depending on how often you play.
Further to that, getting into a raid dungeon like Ulduar will usually require that you join a raid group. Raid groups vary but most worth their salt will trial candidates to judge whether they meet the skill level required to tackle the end-game content. Months of practice and dedication are required before you will face the Iron Council, but that is the achievement to strive for.
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Hunters and Death Knights are cheap. You need no skill to make a Hunter, just immobilize the enemy and continue shooting and let your pet do the work. Completely stupid.
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