A Perfect Storm

When Blizzard Entertainment, one of the most well-known game development company, came around and swept the world, many people referred to it as the "perfect storm". The faces behind Blizzard Entertainment put forth great effort and time that led to this perfect storm. In this blog post, I am going to pick out 10 most interesting quotes or ideas from a research paper done by Sean Duffy on Blizzard's success.

1.  "Although Blizzard did not pioneer the RTS format, they revolutionized and

refined the concept into “a core genre of PC gaming” with their Warcraft and Starcraft

titles". There were few games before Blizzard's Warcraft and Starcraft that first utilized the RTS (Real Time Strategy) game format, but Blizzard's Warcraft and Starcraft was what really shaped the RTS game format and made it popular among the gamers.

2.  Allen Adham admits that “Warcraft was really born out of Dune II…We loved playing that game and thought we could do a game in a fantasy setting like Dune II and add multiplayer”. It is important to note that Allen, one of the founder of Blizzard, admits to the fact that their Warcraft was really a product that was inspired by the earlier games like Dune II because it shows that Blizzard is a truthful company and that it is a company that tries to improve what was created before for customers that love games like they do.

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3. "Selling over 100,000 copies in its first year, the game established Blizzard as a force in the gaming industry." Just from the numbers, we can see that Warcraft was a big success for Blizzard and that it marked their start in the gaming industry.

4. "Blizzard capitalized on the game’s success by churning out Warcraft II less than a year after the first Warcraft hit shelves. Warcraft II surpassed its predecessor by selling an astounding 1 million copies in its first year and being named Game of the Year and Multiplayer Game of the Year by PC Gamer Magazine." This further proves how motivated Blizzard is in producing better and more fun games for its customers and that they do not fail to meet their customers' expectations.

5. "Somewhat tired of the medieval feel of Warcraft, the Blizzard team decided to go to the opposite extreme and try their hand at a sci-fi themed game. Thus in 1996, only a few months after Warcraft II had shipped, programmers began to work on Starcraft." Blizzard never stops thinking about ways to make their games better and they are not afraid to try new things.

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6. "Blizzard’s design philosophy and practice had been honed and refined during the development of their Warcraft titles, and the development of Starcraft exemplifies their maturing model for success." Blizzard learns from their mistakes and observations and strives to make their games even better than before.

7. "We make all of our strategic decision through the eyes of gamers. Adham and Mike Morhaime understood that the best way to understand their consumer base was to actually be part of the consumer base." Blizzard knows how to satisfy their customers and their way is to become the customers themselves and create games they want to play.

8. "We know that if our games meet the standards that both our players and we place upon them, we are rewarded with excellent sales". Not only does Blizzard strive to meet their customers standards, they want to meet the high standards they set upon themselves.

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9. "Bob Fitch exemplified the absolute devotion to the game’s success that all of the Starcraft team members exhibited. Jeff Strain, a programmer, worked on Starcraft code as his wife was giving birth in the hospital. Even Mike Morhaime, a company executive, worked seven days a week for eight months on Starcraft." Developers of Blizzard consider their job more important than anything else and this is why Blizzard is such a successful company.

10. "Starcraft’s worldwide success and critical acclaim vindicates the company’s obsession with quality as a successful business model that should serve Blizzard well in the years to come." Blizzard's perseverance and hard work won't abandon them in the road to their further success.