According to Blizzard's Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams, beta testing for StarCraft II and a revamped version of the Battle.net multiplayer service are just months away
Back in January, we reported that Blizzard had set an internal date for the StarCraft II multiplayer beta - but that they weren't telling anybody else when it would be. According to Kotaku, though, the timeline has been somewhat narrowed down to "in the next few months."
Granted, this isn't that much less vague. Given the plural of "months," we know it's more than one month away, but less than twelve - because that would be a year. So, according to Sams, we could be seeing the betas hit anywhere from April 2009 to January 2010.
Of course, that's being a bit facetious. At last year's BlizzCon 2008, attendees were given a card that would register them for an upcoming Blizzard beta test, in a very *coughcoughwinkwinknudgenudge* manner that suggested the game in question would be SC2. While Blizzard hasn't said anything about a BlizzCon 2009 yet, it seems reasonable to guess that they wouldn't start the beta any later than a year after last October's event - so we can lop another few months off the estimate.
My guess? I think we'll see the SC2 beta hit sometime in May or June - July at the latest - with the first installment, Wings of Liberty, hitting shelves just in time for the 2009 holiday rush. As for the other two StarCraft II installments and Diablo III? Your guess is as good as mine (and here's crossing fingers that we'll get D3 in 2010).
The information about a new iteration of the tremendously successful Battle.net, though ... well, we already knew that they were planning on monetizing it in some way, though won't be turning it into a subscription service. One wonders what sort of changes they will be making.
I want Starcraft 2!!! We've been waiting for it almost as long as Duke Nukem Forever! 10 years! (Admittedly, we have been waiting like 12 years for Duke Nukem Forever).
Murmur95: I thought they said D3 was going to be released before SC2
I keep hearing this rumor bandied around, but no source for it, and it's... pretty ludicrous, honestly. From the playable states at BlizzCon, SC2 was WAAAAY further along than D3.
I have a sneaky suspicion I may finally get this, and then sigh a mighty 'meh' over playing the campaign and some multiplayer. No idea why. I just have a feeling.
Yeah, so this game... That listed as launching in March of 06, is only NOW going in to beta?
Fuck you Blizzard. You took to long, won't play it if it's free at this point. There's only room for one Duke Nukem Forever in the world.
How could a game be listed as coming out more than a year before they announced it?
Musta been 07. It's been such a long wait I can't even keep the dates straight anymore. It's like locking someone in solitary for ten years, they'd swear it was a hundred.
Musta been 07. It's been such a long wait I can't even keep the dates straight anymore. It's like locking someone in solitary for ten years, they'd swear it was a hundred.
Still, the fact of the matter is that the game was only ANNOUNCED May 07. It hasn't even been two years yet :P
Wouldukindly: I have a sneaky suspicion I may finally get this, and then sigh a mighty 'meh' over playing the campaign and some multiplayer. No idea why. I just have a feeling.
I've had the same feeling for a while now. Blizzard can't make amazing games forever. Something's gotta give.
And from what I've seen of the game, I think SC2 will be the end of their streak. Doom, I say! Doom!
Wouldukindly: I have a sneaky suspicion I may finally get this, and then sigh a mighty 'meh' over playing the campaign and some multiplayer. No idea why. I just have a feeling.
I've had the same feeling for a while now. Blizzard can't make amazing games forever. Something's gotta give.
And from what I've seen of the game, I think SC2 will be the end of their streak. Doom, I say! Doom!
The information about a new iteration of the tremendously successful Battle.net, though ... well, we already knew that they were planning on monetizing it in some way, though won't be turning it into a subscription service. One wonders what sort of changes they will be making.
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StarCraft II Beta "In the Next Few Months"
According to Blizzard's Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams, beta testing for StarCraft II and a revamped version of the Battle.net multiplayer service are just months away
Back in January, we reported that Blizzard had set an internal date for the StarCraft II multiplayer beta - but that they weren't telling anybody else when it would be. According to Kotaku, though, the timeline has been somewhat narrowed down to "in the next few months."
Granted, this isn't that much less vague. Given the plural of "months," we know it's more than one month away, but less than twelve - because that would be a year. So, according to Sams, we could be seeing the betas hit anywhere from April 2009 to January 2010.
Of course, that's being a bit facetious. At last year's BlizzCon 2008, attendees were given a card that would register them for an upcoming Blizzard beta test, in a very *coughcoughwinkwinknudgenudge* manner that suggested the game in question would be SC2. While Blizzard hasn't said anything about a BlizzCon 2009 yet, it seems reasonable to guess that they wouldn't start the beta any later than a year after last October's event - so we can lop another few months off the estimate.
My guess? I think we'll see the SC2 beta hit sometime in May or June - July at the latest - with the first installment, Wings of Liberty, hitting shelves just in time for the 2009 holiday rush. As for the other two StarCraft II installments and Diablo III? Your guess is as good as mine (and here's crossing fingers that we'll get D3 in 2010).
The information about a new iteration of the tremendously successful Battle.net, though ... well, we already knew that they were planning on monetizing it in some way, though won't be turning it into a subscription service. One wonders what sort of changes they will be making.
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