AMD/ATi + Blizzard

[sundown]

I read this comment for Diablo 3 at dailytech:

"Now ATI is collaborating with Blizzard for better game support on the HD48xx and Blizzard announces the use of Havok which ATI is implementing, it will be an even better choice to buy ATI!"

I don't know how true this is, but can't AMD/ATi push a little bit more Blizzard/Vivendi into make the game a native Linux game, now that AMD/ATi has a sudden interest in Linux ?

It's funny how they can't realize the money they are losing here.

[Aradreth]

I read this comment for Diablo 3 at dailytech:

"Now ATI is collaborating with Blizzard for better game support on the HD48xx and Blizzard announces the use of Havok which ATI is implementing, it will be an even better choice to buy ATI!"

I don't know how true this is, but can't AMD/ATi push a little bit more Blizzard/Vivendi into make the game a native Linux game, now that AMD/ATi has a sudden interest in Linux ?

It's funny how they can't realize the money they are losing here.

Actually it's quite sad because when developing it they will most probably have an in house linux version like they did with WOW.

6:41pm CEST: Q: Wil there be Linux support? What are the barriers? A: We have no immediate plans for support of Linux client. We had a Linux version early on for compatiability purposes, but have no plans to make the final game for Linux.

full interview here

[Michael]

For what it's worth, there has been a Blizzard employee with the ATI Linux beta program now for some time at least.

[d2kx]

I really don't understand why they don't just release the WoW Linux client (unsupported, if they want)... work already been done, community would love it, game with 10.000.000 players of which they will be at least some thousand Linux gamers...

[Thetargos]

I really don't understand why they don't just release the WoW Linux client (unsupported, if they want)... work already been done, community would love it, game with 10.000.000 players of which they will be at least some thousand Linux gamers...

Somewhere in the order of about 100K according to some figures, for WoW alone.

Michael, if that is indeed true (and having into account, again, that one of their Lead Software Engineers pioneered SDL), that is the more feasible. If there is one other company I'd LOVE to see their games on Linux, that'd be Blizzard. Forget Valve, forget 3D Realms, forget BioWare, even... The kind of stuff that Blizzard could bring to the table is just... amazing... In my utopian world they'd also release the code for the Warcraft II, Diablo and Starcraft engines, so that there could be Linux binaries for these games (you'd still had to have the original title to play these), alas... Not very likely to happen... ever.

At any rate, I'd love to see at least Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 native Linux clients.

[Vighy]

Mhh I'd like to have the sources of Warcraft™ to be able to add the facilities of Warcraft2 (mouse right button) and to make graphics better, keeping the game as it is... since I think it was the most wonderful game I ever played

And Diablo3 native in linux will be worth buying it

So, a better linux / open source support from Blizzard will be much welcome

but I'm not that confident in it.

[RobbieAB]

Somewhere in the order of about 100K according to some figures, for WoW alone.

Problem: The most telling figures are the demise of Loki and the problems LGP are facing.

If there were 100K linux gamers willing to pay, we would already have a vibrant games set-up, as that many sales would probably have kept Loki alive. No offence to LGP, but Lokis game lineup was decidely superior.

Even worse: you mention 100K potential customers, and the price of rights for games goes up. You can't sell a Linux port to any company as having 100K potential customers, and than argue that the rights should be cheap because you can't expect more than 10K sales!

[Svartalf]

I really don't understand why they don't just release the WoW Linux client (unsupported, if they want)... work already been done, community would love it, game with 10.000.000 players of which they will be at least some thousand Linux gamers...

Publisher nixed it. It wasn't up to them.

[Svartalf]

If there were 100K linux gamers willing to pay, we would already have a vibrant games set-up, as that many sales would probably have kept Loki alive. No offence to LGP, but Lokis game lineup was decidely superior.

Heh... There's some reason behind the lineup deltas. Loki scoring what it did how it did and then owing people LOTS of cash for the deals they wrangled causes an environment worse than when Loki was around- they muddied the waters for everyone that followed them in that respect.

Even worse: you mention 100K potential customers, and the price of rights for games goes up. You can't sell a Linux port to any company as having 100K potential customers, and than argue that the rights should be cheap because you can't expect more than 10K sales!

Got it in one! Now, if you KNOW you can expect 20k units out of that potential market, you can live with the deal to wrangle the rights from someone like Blizzard (or Id, or...). You might even have the money backing however it comes to actually ADVERTISE the silly thing at that level. But, sadly, we aren't seeing this story, now are we?

[Thetargos]

In the case of Blizzard, I don't think that they may be intrinsically hostile towards Linux as such (due to sales fears), but rather due to their publishers (and more so being now owned by Vivendi-Universal) who have been openly hostile towards Linux.

Edit

I don't believe that a company such as Blizzard would have many problems with regards to potential customers. Their games are virtually instant hits.