No Blizzcon for 2012

Well shit.

You have no idea how excited we were for Blizzcon 2012, and now there isn't one.  We had big plans, too.  We were going to have a meetup with an open bar tended by bikini clad super models, Ghostcrawler in a dunk tank (proceeds benefiting Child's Play), Sam Raimi was going to be there and reveal who's he's casting in the WoW movie, many voice actors from the various games were going to be there and Metallica was going to close the party with a free concert.  Oh well, maybe we can get everybody to agree to 2013 instead.  Ok, not really.

There's a lot of rage against Blizz for not holding a Blizzcon this year.  I get it, to a degree, but at the same time I just don't.  I get it because if you've never been to Blizzcon, OMG is it fun.  It's the type of fun that you have a hangover from (and I don't mean from the drinking, but yeah that too).  You know those times you've had so much fun that afterwards, when it's time to start paying the price, you swear if you make it through the pain you're not going to do that again and then a week later you can't wait to go do it again?  That's Blizzcon.  On the plane ride home, I was dead set on just doing the PPV for 2012 because I just couldn't see myself surviving another live Blizzcon.  A week later, I was itching to see an announcement of dates, ticket sales, prices etc.

The reason I don't get the rage, though, is that Blizz needs to release some games.  I had an exchange on twitter with a gamer who said, basically, that Blizz is showing they dont care about their fans because Blizzcon is for the fans and releasing games is about the money.  I don't follow that logic.  Without the games they have no fans. The last time they released a game was 2010, and we got 2 games that year - a rarity for Blizzard.  How many people would attend a Con organized by a company that didn't release any products, or released them more rarely than Blizz?

Blizz said in their last earnings call they plan on releaseing 'at least 2' games in 2012.  And when you think about it, 3 isn't unlikely.  We're all very sure we're getting D3 this year, pretty sure we're getting MoP and the SC2 expansion, some think, could be released as early as this summer (I'm expecting holiday timeframe).  With that possible product slate, and the timing of it all, what would they talk about?  Not Titan, no matter how much we all want them to.  They said at the end of Blizzcon 2010 the earliest we would hear anything about it would be 2013, and maybe not then. 

If you look at the possible release dates of those three titles, and consider the time taken away from development for Blizzcon (it's not just the PR folks at the con, the devs etc are there), Blizzcon has real impact to development schedule.  And it's more than just the 2 days they're at the con.  They spend hours putting together their presentations (even Geek Is was probably a day or more of Power Point alone).  Blizz loses development time in preperation and then they basically shut down for a few days to hold Blizzcon.

Also, consider that the potential release of three titles in 2012 will give them a whole lot of nothing to talk about at Blizzcon.  How many people would be livid to no end they spend $175 for a ticket, $350 for airfare, $400 for a hotel and all the inflated prices for food etc to attend a Blizzcon full of nothing?  2010 was pretty 'meh' in that regard.  The big reveal was a class in D3.  I mean, cool...but that's the big reveal?

Overall, I'm disapointed there's no Blizzcon in 2012 but I'm not raging.  I'm a little relieved, to be honest.  I have a busy 2012 ahead of me and knowing I don't have to schedule time off of work, sink that cash etc, it's a weight lifted. 

Plus, think about how epic 2013's event could shape up.  Perhaps Titan gets revealed.  Maybe we'll get the next WoW expansion announcement.  Maybe (hopefully it will have been annoucned before then) a D3 expansion.  Maybe...StarCraft THREE?

Just needed to put another viewpoint out there to maybe counter some of the anti-Blizz rage.  I have to go call Metallica's booking agent now.  Lars is gonna be PISSED....