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Before we get into the gory gameplay, balance and multimedia details which were revealed during BlizzCon, here are two important and confirmed bits of information our readers should know about:
1) As confirmed by Mike Morhaime, President of Blizzard Entertainment, this year’s BlizzCon attendees receive StarCraft 2 beta keys.
No, the StarCraft 2 Beta was not announced, and no planned schedule exists. However, it is reasonable to assume that Blizzard will make the beta available before 2009’s Blizzcon.
2) During the StarCraft Gameplay Panel, it has been revealed that StarCraft 2 will be released as a game trilogy:
- Wings of Liberty (Terran)
- Heart of the Swarm (Zerg)
- Legacy of the Void (Protoss)
The trilogy is required only for the single player campaign, and the full-featured multiplayer (Battle.net) experience will be available to players who purchase even just one of the above. Splitting the game into 3 distinct products was an uneasy development decision, according to Rob Pardo, who said it was made due to StarCraft 2’s giant single-player project scope, among other considerations.
36 Comments to “StarCraft 2 Beta and the $150 Price Tag”
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This is a GOOD thing for the game, its a bad thing for people who dont want to spend too much money.
I am personally glad Blizzard is taking a “new step” with the Single Player, the SP in Warcraft 3 and TFT was just a bad a rehash and overall predictable ****, there was nothing new and it never felt epic as some SC missions did.
With 30 missions to go, CGI cinematics, the new and improved ways to make the Single Player better i am certain it will be a amazing experience, for those who care about the story.
For those who dont and just want to “pwn soam noobs lolz, LF2M Kara need healers” can just buy the one game and go noob it up on Bnet.
What about the price? Are the $150 just a rumor? If yes, is it going to be $50 for each campaign, or are we going to see some discounts for the owners of previous ones?
The $150 price tag is just a speculation on the three pieces costing $50 each. That’s plenty reasonable given the quality of the products.
Blizzard, please don’t screw us over with DRM. It doesn’t stop pirates anyway. I WILL PAY TO OWN THE GAME! I WILL NOT PIRATE IT, EVEN THOUGH I CAN!
I agree, horribly-implemented DRM + $150 for the SP would pretty much be a repeat of the EA/Spore drama. I don’t know that the game industry would SURVIVE two such blows to player loyalty. /doomandgloom
I wonder whats going to happen with all the preorders… o.O
I refuse to buy the game three times. Bad decision blizzard.
I think it would be really unfair if we had to pay full price for all three episodes of the game. That would basically mean that we were paying for the multiplayer portion 3 times just to get the whole single player experience. It seems much more fair to either grant a discount for 2nd and 3rd portions of the game, or else to make the 2nd and 3rd campaigns expansion packs to the game.
On second thought, there will most likely be a battle chest with the whole thing for $70-100
each of this parts will be have more game in it, as most of the others games that comes out today….
I think this is not a bad idea.
yes price is up, but think this way… with each extension, will probably come some expansion of the previous, it might be a cheap way to do an expansion pack.
I have always loved the terran and protoss compagnes, but the zerg missions never made too much sense to me…
OMG now I am going to think twice before buy the whole “Trilogy”.
Well, personally I always count the single campaign as a “bouns” to the game and I as a casual player generally play a donze times of ladder , play a lot of custom maps (you know DOTA stuff) and why would I really interested in SC2 campaign? It wont auto update itself and I would rather just get it when it made “viedo guide” by others (a hell lot of ppl does that even sale their guides in HD viedo recorded on DVD)
Better think carefully blizzard, ppl wont be fooled by this.
(sorry for my engrlish)
BEEP BEEP blizzard want my money BEEP BEEPfirst wow now this. i miss the good old tiems of blizzard
*comment Moderated. Anderson.
rofl, naix has unwittingly admitted to playing BOTH WoW, AND DotA XD. He makes a good point regardless
Hey, dont complain about the price! I live in Australia, and here the industry screws twice. Not only do we receive all our games like 3 months later than the rest of the world, but we also have to pay sometimes 3x the price you would in the US.
IMO, by making the SP a trilogy, that gives Bliz the opportunity to acknowledge any criticism given to the Terran single player campaign, and hopefully fix and improve upon it.
Naix on a plane ^^
Trilogy???? `\_(o-º)_/` i dunno, lol
ok first they wreck the patch of wrath of lichking and now this:p
hope they get the price down to the price of a expansion pack
Aiyo. People, people, people. If Blizzard had said: We’re releasing the game with one Campaign only, because that’s all the time we have, they’d complain.. but, they’d still love it. Then, down the road they announce an expansion pack.
Then, down the line, they release an expansion pack. And everyone would be okay. No one complains about expansion packs normally.
This is the same thing. They are just announcing the expansion packs -early-. You’ll get new units, new terrain, BNet improvements, and a new storyline with each release. The only downside is if you are a Protoss fan, you got awhile to wait for the campaign (Which is me). You’re getting a full, 40 hour storyline campaign. You’re getting a full game. With 2 expansion packs. That’s one more than BW had.
If Blizzard said they were releasing an expansion pack for SC 1, heads would explode with joy. So, I guess my thought process is… Why the hell are people complaining when we’re getting MORE of an awesome game.
@Dariath: If you are a Protoss fan, you won’t have to wait, because they annaunced a mini-protoss-campaign in the first “episode”
I am a little worried ’bout the balance changes of the trilogy. While on SC1 the had 10 years to perfect the game, now they will always have to start from the begining when they release a new expansion (new units and upgrades for the MP).
Anyways, here, a short interview with Dustin Browder:
http://www.mymym.com/en/coverage/529/18.html
They perfected SC1 a few years after Brood War was released. I doubt the other instalments in the trilogy will add so much to the multiplayer that it will take very long to balance each time. Also, they will learn from the evolution of the game on Battle.net, allowing them to avoid implementing new units that are (too) overpowered.
For single player you get a better experience. For multiplayer it’s like getting expansion packs. Sure, nobody likes buying expansion packs, but when have Blizzard expansion packs not been worth the money?
And also, not many RTS get large patches (MMOs do). Think of two large content patches coming your way. For the LOW, LOW PRICE of 39.95! ACT NOW!
How many people will want a few copies for LAN play anyway? Plenty.
This is a fine move.
What a bunch of fanboys!!! You actually believe what Rob Pardo said? It would take 4 months (at max) to make a complete single player campaign. This is just another way for Blizzard to make money.
They said each campaign would be released about 1 year apart… I’m disgusted beyond words. I no longer look up to Blizzard. I am no longer your fan.
I can’t believe we are getting Blizzard’s Pokémon RTS. Everybody knows that split games are just money-grabbing tactics. The final games won’t be cheaper than standards, and I bet that it isn’t just the campaign but additional features; if it wasn’t so, they wouldn’t waste their money launching products of which just 1/3 would sell. If it ends up that way, expect 3 expansions too.
Ya know. It’s funny. I’ve never once felt jipped or screwed by lack of content when I’ve bought an Expansion Pack made by Blizzard. Funny, that. I always felt like.. it was worth the money. I must be insane to think that. And I’m totally insane thinking 40 bucks isn’t that much money to most people. Go out for a nice meal? 50 bucks. And in 8 hours it really is just a memory. But, SC? Why, I’ve played it and the expansion for 10 years. 80 dollars for 10 years of enjoyment.
THOSE JERKS! I must certainly have been taken advantage of!
@ 4poolfastexpandwtf? -
Don’t forget that Australia has a cruel, cruel ratings system.
Max R16?? WTF???
Thank God i live in New Zealand.
I think this is a perfectly reasonable idea, this new-fangled ‘trilogy’ of which you speak. Have you ever complained about expansion packs?? I don’t think so.
If you aren’t into playing single player, then go ahead and just by one version of the game. I’m happy to have a more in-depth SINGLE PLAYER experience (mostly becos i hav crap internet probly), for more $$$.
아주 좋은 생각
SC단독 플레이어는 중대할 것이다
I’ll withhold any sort of judgement until we get a definite pricing scheme. If they’re trying to charge full price for each one, that’s pretty shameful in my books, it’s reeks of just trying to cash in on the popularity.
It also bothers me that it seems to be a step away from the traditional Blizzard philosophy of “it’s done when it’s done”. Seems to me like they’re trying to push the first part out of the door before the rest of it is properly done.
But maybe I’m being unnecessarily pessimistic…
@DL - Well I assume the multiplayer aspect of the game IS done, hence the decision. Awesome move I reckon.
I totally agree with Dariath. I know everyone’s going to complain about “having to pay for the game 3 times”, and that all Blizzard want to do is squeeze more money out of us, but honestly I don’t care anymore. Considering the apparent scope of the campaigns, I’m happy to pay for the two expansions. Oh yeah, AS LONG AS THERE’S NO DRM. We’ve all been waiting for this game for years, and I’m sure plenty of people will happily pay. Hell, I can’t even remember the last game I paid for, and I’ll pay.
And 4poolfastexpandwtf?, as a fellow Aussie, I hear ya mate.
Please don’t auto-assume its $50 per game. You make yourselves look like idiots like in all the comments sections found in video game sites.
Yeah, if each campaign is ~30 missions, then that’s the same size as the whole SC1 anyway. I don’t feel so bad if each campaign is the size of an entire game in itself.
Indeed, it would mean that the ‘three games’ combine for 90 missions total! That would be pretty cool.
From what I heard at Blizzcon it seemed to me that the decision was arrived at from a quality perspective.
I think they were worried about having a finished product before 2012, especially after the hype that naturally surrounds a release of that magnitude. So they decieded that what they had done will be released when it is done.
After all, they still have 10 million WoW players if profit is their chief concern.
What the Hell. I cant Afford to buy the game three times! I have child support to pay =( please make a package deal so i can play this game to forget about my baby mama drama.
Yeah, that was an utterly horrible decision to split the game into 3 parts, can’t they figure out how to make one game with all three race campaigns in it like SC1?
They must just be doing this to get the game out earlier which is fine with me. The 2nd and 3rd installments better have a bunch of more updates other than campaign mode though. But even if it does end up costing like $150, who cares it will be the best game for the NEXT 10 years!! and imagine SC2 Editor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this is ridiculous,not to mention that it’ll take 4ever yo be released.