StarCraft: Ghost postponed indefinitely

[Trippy]

This came through BusinessWire but hasn't shown up on Blizzard's own site yet.

Blizzard Entertainment(R) Focuses Console-Development Plans on Next-Gen Platforms
IRVINE, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE) March 24, 2006

Blizzard Entertainment Inc. today announced plans to focus the company's console-development efforts on the next generation of console platforms. As part of this shift in focus, Blizzard(R) will indefinitely postpone production on StarCraft: Ghost(TM) while evaluating opportunities for utilizing the additional power of the new and upcoming console systems.

"Like many in the industry, we've been impressed with the potential of the new consoles, and we're looking forward to exploring that potential further," stated Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "In addition to allowing us to determine the best course for StarCraft: Ghost, this review period will help us lay the groundwork for our future console games."

In the months ahead, Blizzard will further evaluate the next-gen console technology and determine the best plan of action for offering a StarCraft(R) console-gaming experience that meets the company's expectations and those of its players. Further specifics on plans for StarCraft: Ghost and Blizzard's future console games, as well as platform and release information, will be revealed at a later date.

[schild]

SHOCKING.

[Strazos]

And coming up next, an update on the status of Duke Nukem Forever, the sequel to the 1996 smash hit, Duke Nukem 3D!!

[MrHat]

I thought the game was done?

[Krakrok]

They were deathmatching with it at E3 last year. If I recall right the graphics have the same styled flavor as WoW. The execs are probably looking at these xbox 360 games and saying wow our game looks like crap compared to these.

[andar]

I hope so.  Blizzard needs realistic graphics for Starcraft--WoW's graphics are getting really old.

[SurfD]

I dont know, personally i love WoWs graphics.  In my opinion, it isnt about "uber realism" but rather about Style.   WoW simply screams style.  Everything has the distinctive Warcraft look.  Compared to, say, EQ2 which goes for realistic and just ends up looking bland and uninspired.   I really couldnt care less if your fantasy elf character has more polygons in her face then an entire WoW dwarf.  If your image doesent have style, it isnt going to interest me.

[HaemishM]

Blizzard is never going to develop fast enough to put up current gen console titles, they are just too fucking slow. Ghost was supposed to be a first- or second-gen X-Box game.

[sinij]

I hope Blizzard can take some time off dancing around money pyre to make a decent game, another Star Craft perhaps?

[Engels]

WoW simply screams style. 

...



Can someone please explain this to me? I know, it may simply be a matter of taste, but I really really want to understand how adults can appreciate the art in WoW. For me it seems stuck somewhere between the Teletubbies and Ronald Macdonald. It seemed fine for the original RTS, where 'realistic' tiny orcs would just look silly on a '2d' isometric strategy field, but in WoW, I just simply had to stop playing because I felt that the game's demographics were geared towards kids and young adolescents.

[HaemishM]

WoW's art style is very much as if you are living in a cartoon world.

[Morfiend]

I thought the game was done?

It is (was?) very very close to finished. The last month has been crunch time for the Ghost dev team. I honestly thought it would be released in the next month. That really sucks for my friend. Ill ask him whats up.

[Margalis]

I'm not a fan of the WoW look but I can see how people like it. However that style doesn't work at all for a sci-fi game for the most part.

How many times has Ghost changed hands, been revamped, been delayed, etc? This will teach Blizzard to hand out games to contractors I suppose.

[Trippy]

They were deathmatching with it at E3 last year. If I recall right the graphics have the same styled flavor as WoW. The execs are probably looking at these xbox 360 games and saying wow our game looks like crap compared to these.

The version they were showing at E3 last year had an environment that looked a lot like Tribes 1 with models based on the StarCraft cinematics (simplified of course). It did not have the colorful cartoony exaggerated environment look that WoW has (in fact the base structures looked very grey, a la Tribes 1). Some of the models did have that exaggerated features look but that's inherited from StarCraft and not from WoW directly.

[Trippy]

How many times has Ghost changed hands, been revamped, been delayed, etc? This will teach Blizzard to hand out games to contractors I suppose.

The Wiki has a summary of its development.

[Mesozoic]

WoW simply screams style.

...



Can someone please explain this to me? I know, it may simply be a matter of taste, but I really really want to understand how adults can appreciate the art in WoW. For me it seems stuck somewhere between the Teletubbies and Ronald Macdonald. It seemed fine for the original RTS, where 'realistic' tiny orcs would just look silly on a '2d' isometric strategy field, but in WoW, I just simply had to stop playing because I felt that the game's demographics were geared towards kids and young adolescents.

WoW makes a great use of vibrant color that does a good job of showing off the phat lewtz.  It's very consistent with the franchise and allows them to do pretty impressive architectural work without making comps crash and burn.  It also helps that the alternative is EQ2. 

[kaid]

I don't think ghost can ever be made. Blizzard takes WAY to long to make games to ever keep up with the first person shooter graphic engine cycle. It is almost always an engine behind and will look a big fugly and dated compared to all the other ones out there.


Kaid

[Yegolev]

Yeah... I'm going to need you to make this game work on the X-Men 360.