Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2015 AOL, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[WoW looks to the future as Blizzard stocks surge]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/26/wow-looks-to-the-future-as-blizzard-stocks-surge/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/26/wow-looks-to-the-future-as-blizzard-stocks-surge/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/07/26/wow-looks-to-the-future-as-blizzard-stocks-surge/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

WoW looks to the future as Blizzard stocks surge
Blizzard might be weathering the sting of a 600,000 subscriber loss in World of Warcraft this quarter, but the studio's separation from Vivendi could be the salve to soothe the hurt. Following the news that Activision Blizzard is buying back shares to take away Vivendi's controlling stake, stocks have surged 18% in pre-market trading this morning.

Baird Analyst Colin Sebastian says this is nothing but good news: "This looks like a win, win, win for Vivendi and Activision shareholders. It's a better outcome than a special dividend to Vivendi, and I expect Activision will function even better as an independent company without the overhang of a struggling parent."

Blizzard is also taking steps to counter its subscriber drop. VentureBeat reports that the studio has increased its WoW development team, "lowered the barrier" for returning players to catch up to friends, and created an in-game proving ground so players can learn to heal or tank. We also have word that a new buff-centric class is being considered, although no specifics have been revealed.

MassivelyWoW looks to the future as Blizzard stocks surge originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 26 Jul 2013 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It's healing lightning. Or something.
The gaming industry is pretty morbid when you get right down to it. 2011 has seen several people predicting the death of the MMO market and the death of subscription games, often times in the same sentence. But according to analyst Colin Sebastian, the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic makes it clear that these reports of death have been greatly exaggerated. As Sebastian puts it, the unprecedented growth of SWTOR's player figures indicates that the market still possesses a demand for new games and still responds favorably.

Sebastian goes on to predict that the game will likely move around three million units by March 2012, the end of the fiscal year, although he believes that staying power is a bit more questionable. He believes that predictions of up to two million paying users by the end of 2012 might be overly optimistic. That having been said, the game has certainly come out of the gate with real strength; it only remains to be seen if it can maintain that.

MassivelyAnalyst claims that Star Wars: The Old Republic points to a healthy MMO market originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>analystanalystsbiowarebioware-mmobioware-mmorpgbioware-star-warsbioware-swtorcolin-sebastianeaelectronic-artsfinancialgame-industryindustryindustry-opinionslaunchlucas-artslucas-arts-mmolucas-arts-mmorpgmarketmmo-industrystar-wars-gamestar-wars-mmostar-wars-mmorpgstar-wars-the-old-republicstar-wars-torstarwarsstarwars-the-old-republicsw-torswtorthe-old-republicTue, 27 Dec 2011 19:45:00 EST<![CDATA[2009 online game revenue could reach $11b]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/2009-online-game-revenue-could-reach-11b/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/2009-online-game-revenue-could-reach-11b/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/06/16/2009-online-game-revenue-could-reach-11b/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Analysts really do like to live up to their job titles, because Colin Sebastian went all out at this year's E3 event. But his biggest prediction? This year online games will rake in $11 billion dollars in revenue, out of a global $44 billion in the videogame market. That's a whole heaping ton of cash, and a sizable chunk of the pie, too.

With Free Realms hitting three million players in only two months, it's safe to say that online games are indeed becoming a force to be reckoned. We're kind of in amazement when considering the potential numbers of Star Wars: The Old Republic's first few months after launch.

The next few years are certainly going to be interesting for online games. Hopefully by the end of it all, we'll still be able to walk outside without immediately hissing and burning alive from the sunlight.

Massively2009 online game revenue could reach $11b originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowarecolin-sebastianeaelectronic-artsgamasutralucas-artssoestar-wars-the-old-republicswtorTue, 16 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST