{"id":204,"date":"2021-03-11T15:09:51","date_gmt":"2021-03-11T15:09:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/?p=204"},"modified":"2021-03-11T15:09:51","modified_gmt":"2021-03-11T15:09:51","slug":"the-end-is-nigh-because-of-mobile-gaming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/11\/the-end-is-nigh-because-of-mobile-gaming\/","title":{"rendered":"The End is Nigh … because of Mobile Gaming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This article originally ran under a different banner\/website in November of 2018 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! QUICKLY, PLEASE, GATHER ROUND!!!\u00a0 I COME BEARING THE DARKEST OF NEWS!!!\u00a0 I had ventured to the gaming convention known as PAX East 2019.\u00a0 Filled with excitement, I skipped off to see what new wonders the game industry had to present.\u00a0 Upon arrival, I was immediately pulled into a dark room and bolted to a chair.\u00a0 A dark voice filled my ears, \u201cSo \u2026. I hear you’re a bit of reviewer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d I said struggling to get the word out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood,\u201d the eerie voice said and immediately snapped his fingers.\u00a0 Buzzing and humming filled the room followed by a mechanical arm shoving some sort of rag into my mouth.\u00a0 Before I could attempt to spit the rag out, I received a sharp pain to both sides of my temples.\u00a0 The rag muffed my screams as the sense of cold steel filled in where the pain had subsided.\u00a0 Following the metal feeling, I felt a weight attached to the front of my face.\u00a0 I open my eyes to see a metallic contraption bolted to the front of my face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is happening?\u201d I blurted out stunned with disbelief and fright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is the new mobile game frame device,\u201d the voice said placing a ghostly hand over the aluminum bar across my forehead, \u201cYou see, all the games out on the floor are mobile games.\u00a0 No more consoles, no more PC, only mobile devices; and therefore only mobile games.\u00a0 Everyone will have their phones bolted to their face.\u00a0 Imagine it.\u00a0 All you gamers, wandering around with phones bolted to your faces.\u00a0 Walking into each other, walls, streetlights, oncoming traffic.\u00a0 You name it.\u00a0 The best part is you all will be so comatose that you all will indulge in the insidious microtransactions infested in these mobile games.\u00a0 MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I scream to find myself in my own bed.\u00a0 While some may say this was just a dream, I believe it to be a vision from the future.\u00a0 With the recent events at BlizzCon, I am more likely to believe this was a warning rather than a nightmare.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those who don\u2019t stay updated on Blizzard-related news, prior to the biggest Blizzard-related event of the year, BlizzCon, Blizzard had been teasing some exciting Diablo-<\/em>related news.\u00a0 Even though they claimed it wouldn\u2019t be an announcement for Diablo 4<\/em>, they continued to tease something big for the franchise with cryptic Tweets and new merchandise for Diablo<\/em>.\u00a0 When it came time to make the announcement, Blizzard revealed Diablo Immortal<\/em>, a mobile spin-off for a franchise that had traditionally been on PC.\u00a0 Following the announcement came an eerie silence as Blizzard said they would be partnering with famous mobile developer NetEase, but that only seemed to make things worse, as NetEase is famous for creating copy-pasted microtransaction riddled mobile games.\u00a0 It seemed a fate worse than death for some fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Tension only raised as irritated and disappointed fans were allowed to ask the developers questions.\u00a0 One fan asked if this was a late April fool\u2019s joke.\u00a0 Another fan struggled to ask the question \u201cWill this title come to PC?\u201d\u00a0 Upon hearing that no form of Diablo Immortals <\/em>would come to the PC, the crowd erupted in a boo.\u00a0 Then the developers did the worse thing they could possibly imagine doing.\u00a0 They asked \u201cWhat?\u00a0 Do you guys not have phones?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No, good sir, we do indeed have phones, we just don\u2019t prefer to use them for cheap mobile games that will nickel and dime us for card packs to have the chance to receive spells and attacks that do slightly more damage than our previous spells and attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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AAA gaming companies have been eyeing the mobile market wanting a piece of that greed pie.\u00a0 Mobile games are generally cheaper to make and have gotten away with aggressive monetization practices over the past few years.\u00a0 While they admittedly don\u2019t have the largest audience, most mobile games can survive and even turn a profit by taking advantage of a few players who will spend obscene amounts of money.\u00a0 The industry has even disgustingly referred to them as \u201cwhales.\u201d\u00a0 With more AAA companies having the majority of their money come from microtransactions, it only makes sense they would try to get their vampiric tendrils into the mobile market, and with the release of Fortnite <\/em>on mobile, gaming companies are only going to be more aggressively pushing mobile games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This isn\u2019t something new to gamers though.\u00a0 One only needs to mention Dungeon Keeper Mobile <\/em>to see gamers cringe.\u00a0 Disney villain, Electronic Arts, decided that rather than make another Dungeon Keeper <\/em>game for its traditional PC audience, it was going to turn Dungeon Keeper <\/em>into an insidious mobile game that required you to take part in the microtransactions to make any sort of progress.\u00a0 In response, gamers broke out torches and pitchforks in a fashion that made your old Doomsayer proud.\u00a0 When EA tried to pull the same stunt again with Command and Conquer Rivals<\/em>, gamers had their pitchforks and torches at the ready.\u00a0 Now Activision-Blizzard has stepped up to try monetization the Diablo <\/em>franchise again since the Diablo 3 <\/em>Auction House didn\u2019t make enough money so Diablo <\/em>has to be a mobile game now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All this does for me is show that the upper management of these gaming companies are out of touch with their audience.\u00a0 For Activision-Blizzard to think they could go in front of a PC-dominated audience, announce a mobile and not receive backlash, shows that the people calling the shots can\u2019t even look at how gamers are reacting to these announcements.\u00a0 How Activision-Blizzard thinks they could get away with a mobile Diablo<\/em> spinoff in a world where EA has been put on blast for Dungeon Keeper <\/em>and Command and Conquer <\/em>mobile games is beyond me.\u00a0 Then again, I would have assumed nobody would be bragging about a poor working environment after all the issues that arose from the Telltale shut down, but Dan Houser from Rockstar just couldn\u2019t keep his mouth shut about his employees working hundred-hour work weeks.\u00a0 Need more proof of tone-deaf leadership?\u00a0 How about the time Gearbox Publishing partnered with the website, G2A, which has been caught numerous times selling stolen game keys.\u00a0 The games industry needs more leaders who are in tune with the audience, not one looking to make quick bucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now, I know what your thinking.\u00a0 Doomsayer, your just a crazed person looking from the outside, how can you criticize Blizzard\u2019s leadership.\u00a0 Well for one, I wouldn\u2019t have left Wyatt Cheng to the wolves as Blizzard did.\u00a0 If I truly wanted a Diablo <\/em>spinoff myself, I have a spine and make the announcement myself, not hide behind the lead developer.\u00a0 WHO YOU SHOULD NOT BE HARASSING ON SOCIAL MEDIA.\u00a0 I am sure he didn\u2019t want to be the one to make that announcement, but his bosses threw him out there to be the whipping boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, I have seen another studio make a similar announcement and receive no backlash from fans.\u00a0 Flashback to E3 2018, I had said if Bethesda announced a mobile spinoff for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,<\/em> I would lose my goddamn mind.\u00a0 Bethesda had already released the title almost everything to the point where I felt like a parent hearing my child constantly repeat the same joke.\u00a0 Yes, Bethesda, Skyrim <\/em>was very good, but you need to do something else before I PUT YOU IN TIME OUT.\u00a0 Bethesda just couldn\u2019t help themselves as they announced Elder Scrolls Blade <\/em>aka Skyrim Lite.\u00a0 <\/em>Before anyone could get mad though, Bethesda flashed Elder Scrolls VI, <\/em>yelled more details to come, and sprinted off the stage like a child who has put a lit firecracker in a mailbox.\u00a0 It felt like a cheap move, but it worked on the audience as their attention moved from Elder Scrolls Blades <\/em>to Elder Scrolls VI<\/em>.\u00a0 I was absolutely stunned it worked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now rumors have been coming out that Blizzard is working on Diablo 4<\/em>, but has nothing to show.\u00a0 My response is let\u2019s take a page right out of Bethesda\u2019s playbook.\u00a0 Announce Diablo Immortals, <\/em>fine, but then, hit the lights.\u00a0 The Diablo<\/em> logo flashes on the screen only to have the Lord of Terror reach off-screen to slash at the logo to reveals four slashes over the logo.\u00a0 Fiery letters form at the bottom to say \u201cMore details soon.\u201d\u00a0 Lights go up, Wyatt Cheng thanks everyone for coming to Blizzcon, they don\u2019t have any more info on Diablo 4<\/em>, but they have gameplay demos of Diablo Immortals.\u00a0 <\/em>I can guarantee more fans to be willing to give Diablo Immortals<\/em> a shot.\u00a0 So yes, I may be in rags.\u00a0 I may stand on a soapbox.\u00a0 I might shout nonsense at the top of my lungs, but I am probably more qualified to run Blizzard Entertainment than anyone else currently.\u00a0 I expect a call tomorrow Blizz with an offer ready to go.\u00a0 No excuses.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This article originally ran under a different banner\/website in November of 2018 and is now being here re-uploaded for purposes of convenience and consolidation. Please enjoy. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! QUICKLY, PLEASE, GATHER ROUND!!!\u00a0 I COME BEARING THE DARKEST OF NEWS!!!\u00a0 I had ventured to the gaming convention known as PAX East 2019.\u00a0 Filled with excitement,… Continue reading The End is Nigh … because of Mobile Gaming<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":205,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-opinion","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":215,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions\/215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gatecitygaming.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}