There’s a trope in the television business: because TV seeks to appeal to mainstream audiences, execs tend to avoid catering to ‘fringe’ audiences-you know, the kind that are just super-involved with a brand or franchise. But it was World of Warcraft that carried the publisher through earnings. And its latest iteration of Call of Duty helped wash away some of the disappointed from Destiny 2. Its mobile arm, King Digital, was hurting due to technical issues and a lukewarm reception of new releases. During its most recent earnings call, Activision was hurting in several areas of its asset portfolio. Blizzard has done this repeatedly throughout it history and to a high degree of success it should be noted.

However, Blizzard has never made it any secret that they take games that are popular among a dedicated hardcore crowd and then reimagine those titles to be accessible for and appealing to a mainstream audience. The crowd was likely disappointed to have been lumped in together with average gamers, rather than be treated like the special super-fans they are. And maybe their response is just a reaction to the inevitable realization that gaming, a pastime that once existed on the fringes of entertainment and was theirs alone, has evolved into a mainstream activity. Maybe those same PC players who were triggered are also the ultra-orthodox cohort that consistently despises anything new. They should have known that.īut here's another perspective. A flurry of articles from games journalists predictably fanned the flames of discontent, and a group called the ‘People for the True Spirit of Blizzard’ started an online petition to show how disappointed they are.Ĭertainly, revealing a mobile game to an all PC crowd is not going to sit well. Hilarity ensued, as everyone took a turn kicking Blizzard while it was down.

It immediately brought to mind one of the most difficult strategic questions: Should creative firms listen to their most avid fans?Īfter a collective sigh went through the room, the audience took to the interwebs and took the whole thing viral. When Blizzard revealed a mobile title based on its Diablo franchise called Diablo Immortal, the reaction from the crowd was strongly negative.

Diablo immortal journalist responses