blizzard

Did he catch that Eevee tho?

Without Metzen games like Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft, and Overwatch simply wouldn't be what they are today. The man played an indispensable role in molding the lore, the vision for massively enjoyed video game worlds, and he no doubt inspired so many of both the aspiring, and the established professionals of the video game industry today. Read up on his post he left us with after announcing his retirement, below:

I had just turned twenty years old when I started working at Blizzard. Seems like a lifetime ago. Guess it was. Those first few years were the start of a very grand adventure for me, one that would take me around the world, introduce me to thousands of wonderful geeks just like me—and ultimately shape the course of my adult life.Of course when I started, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I had no idea how to make games or build entertainment products.…But I had an insatiable passion for ideas. For stories. For heroes.My only real training before joining Blizzard was the long-running D&D campaign I had with my closest friends—Sam, Mike P., Daniel, and Mikey C. (you know who you are, boys…HAMRO!). Building ideas—vast worldscapes, characters, and plotlines with my friends was my first great love. I lived for it. It was a safe space amid the tension and change of some rough teenage years. The grand refuge of D&D was a glorious meeting of minds and imaginations where I felt I truly belonged. It was a space where friendship and imagination were inextricably linked. The sharing of ideas on the fly, the crazy, unexpected turns other players would take—it stretched our imaginations in ways we’d never have dreamt of on our own. I loved how roleplaying through adventures taught us so much about each other—and, more often than not, ourselves. Imagining together helped us make sense of the crazy world we were growing up in. It made us stronger together. I wouldn’t really understand the depth of it for many years, but I had learned an important truth from my friends back then: Creativity is relational. Looking back at my years at Blizzard, I see now how profoundly this idea has shaped my career. I see how profoundly my friends and coworkers at Blizzard have shaped me as a person. For nearly twenty-three years I’ve had the very distinct privilege of shaping worlds and building games with the brightest creative minds in entertainment. I’ve walked with giants (and stood on some giants’ shoulders, too). In short, I’ve had the time of my life. I pretty much had the coolest job ever—but the truth is, sometimes it was really hard. Building games with dozens of brilliant, passionate alpha-geeks with their own red-hot instincts and perspectives can be pretty tricky. Coming to consensus about certain design decisions, story motifs, or courses of art direction takes a lot of communication, patience, and “give and take.” It stretches you. Sometimes it wasn’t all that pretty. But engaging with your teammates and collaborating through the potential quagmire of all that creative tension is where the real magic happens. It’s not just the decisions you come to—or even the final shape of the product you craft.… It’s bigger than that—and infinitely more important. True collaboration builds trust—and trust is the basis of all lasting relationships. With trust you build more than just a great product. You build a TRIBE…that can build anything. A family of craftsmen.That’s what Blizzard has been for me. My second family, through all of life’s ups and downs, it’s always been there. The great, geeky backdrop of my life. I don’t just mean “the job” or even the creative mission—but the people. The people who over and over lifted me up, believed in me—and pushed me to find my potential as both an artist and as

Anyone else out there notice that Harambe sign with the bullet holes?..Savage.

From the press release:

The action of Overwatch takes place in a technologically advanced, highly stylized future earth. In a time of global crisis, an international task force of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities known as Overwatch had come together to restore peace to a war-torn world. After many years, the group's influence waned, and it was eventually disbanded. Overwatch might be gone now . . . but the world still needs heroes.

With an emphasis on accessibility and pure fun, Overwatch brings Blizzard's signature easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay to the FPS genre. Harnessing the power of their hero of choice, players will join forces in teams of six and battle each other across a range of futuristic global locations, from the hologram-lit streets of London to a bazaar in the shadows of a high-tech Egyptian pyramid. Every battlefield is iconic and built to highlight each character's unique abilities, and fights can shift from streets to rooftops to open skies within the span of a breath.

"Overwatch is our take on a vibrant, near-future universe with amped-up characters and action-packed team-based gameplay," saidMike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "With every new Blizzard game, we look at our favorite aspects of a genre and put our own spin on things. Our goal with Overwatch is to create an awesome FPS experience that's more accessible to a much wider audience while delivering the action and depth that shooter fans love."

The heroes of Overwatch each bring their own distinct weapons and superabilities to bear. Here's just a glimpse of the numerous heroes that will ultimately fill Overwatch's rosters:

Tracer, a former British test pilot who shrugs at danger, can execute impossible acrobatic assaults thanks to her ability to teleport, drop energy bombs, and even reverse time.
Reinhardt, a hulking German soldier in battle armor, can charge great distances and pin his enemies to a wall or slam the ground with his rocket hammer to knock them off their feet.
Hanzo, a bow-wielding Japanese mercenary, has the ability to scale walls with his bare hands, fire off a tracking device that illuminates nearby enemies for his team, and unleash a huge spirit dragon that does grievous damage to all enemies in its path.
Symmetra, an Indian architech, manipulates light and energy to shield her allies and damage her enemies—and she can turn the tide of any battle by building a device that instantly transports her teammates to the front lines.

Expect a beta some time next year.

Get your tickets here.

I close my eyes, trying to fall asleep at night, only to be struck by a barrage of tormented images....the corpses of players lining the once busy streets of Orgrimmar. Such devastation and ruination, in such an alarmingly short period of time. Some folks found it humorous, as it was all one colossal f**king accident. For those unaware, here's what you need to know about the 'Corrupted Blood' incident in World of Warcraft:

The Corrupted Blood Incident began on September 13, 2005 and went on for one week. The epidemic took root in the intro of a new raid Zul'Gurub and its end boss Hakkar the Soulflayer. Whattup Hakkar:



If you attacked Hakkar he'd cast a hit-point draining, debuff spell called 'Corrupted Blood' that was highly contagious, on players. 

Now this is where it gets interesting in our little story...

The spell which was only intended to last a few seconds and STAY in Zul'Gurub ended up being spread by way of pets and minions well outside Zul'Gurub. And thus the pandemic was underway--both low and high level players were instantaneously 'rekt' by this curse that massively altered traditional gameplay.



Players tried everything...quarantines, straight up abandoning zones, but nothing worked until a series of new patches/updates were implemented. Pretty damn funny, pretty damn annoying. So pour one out today for the brave souls lost in The Great Plague of Zul'Gurub!

At long last, one of Overwatch's most cherished fan creations is canon thanks to a new emote on game's test server. You better believe she's got her Doritos, Mountain Dew, and that custom stream overlay. Thanks to Seba for the video!

Thanks to Overwatch's remappable controls, Zak can comfortably enjoy playing the game with every character. He shared the following thank you letter he wrote to Blizzard:

Dear Blizzard,

First off I want to congratulate you on the launch of Overwatch. It is an amazing game and you should be proud. It is jam packed with so many exciting moments for every type of gamer. My girlfriend loves the lore, my buddy can't stop smiling when he gets a hook with Roadhog, and me? I love the options menu.

I was born with Cerebral Palsy. I can't walk and have very limited use of my hands. I love video games of all shapes and sizes and have been playing since I was 3 years old. I play them when I'm happy, I play them when I'm sad, and I've started and strengthened some of my best friendships because of them.

Some games allude me though. You see, the way my hands are I am only able to use one hand for one action at one time per hand. So essentially I can only press two buttons simultaneously. Because of this I have always been limited to certain play styles and characters in games. Yasuo in League of Legends is a no go for me because of all the mechanics at play. Grapplers in fighting games usually off limits because they mostly require simultaneous button presses. Shooters are the biggest offender though. It's a must to be able to move, aim, and fire at the same time and I am only able to do two at a time. This pigeonholes me into using shotguns... thats it.

I'm rambling. I just wanted to thank you, Blizzard, for having near endless control customization in Overwatch. I don't know if this was your goal, but because of your extensive options I am able to play every character in the roster and it feels great. Because of you I made my first snipe in a video game today.

Thank you Blizzard.

Fan Forever, Zak

Ah the true pinnacle of this character's in-game absurdity has to be this little cliff diving gem.

On Thursday when the Overwatch beta dropped, the Overwatch searches back over on Pornhub instantaneously surged by 817%. People were stoked, needed to blow off some steam, I guess. 


Via: venturebeat

The company went on to find that 'Tracer' was the most popular search term, amidst the beta release frenzy. Here are some of the other widely searched terms:


Via: venturebeat

These are the following phrases you might encounter if you're one of those players that types "GG EZ" after taking home the win.
-Great game, everyone!
-It was an honor to play with you all. Thank you.
-Good game! Best of luck to you all!
-I'm wrestling with some insecurity issues in my life but thank you all for playing with me.
-C'mon, Mom! One more game before you tuck me in. Oops mistell.
-Gee whiz! That was fun. Good playing!
-Well played. I salute you all.
-I could really use a hug right now.
-It's past my bedtime. Please don't tell my mommy.
-Ah shucks... you guys are the best!
-I feel very, very small... please hold me...
-For glory and honor! Huzzah comrades!
-Mommy says people my age shouldn't suck their thumbs.
-I'm trying to be a nicer person. It's hard, but I am trying, guys. Wishing you all the best.