MMO Updates

MMO Updates


The Anvil of Crom: Alternate advancement explained

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 10:00 AM PDT

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The Anvil of Crom header - Alternate Advancement guide
Welcome back to the Anvil of Crom, Conan fans. I trust you've been gorging yourselves on the movie and all of the new content that the Age of Conan dev team has pushed out the door over the past couple of months.

This week I'm going to step back and take a high-altitude look at one of the game's mechanical aspects, that being the alternate advancement system that shipped with 2010's Rise of the Godslayer expansion. I say high-altitude because many of the AA tricks you'll learn over the course of your AoC career will be class-specific, and though I'll eventually get to those in my series of class guides, today I'll start with an overview of the system as well as a bit of commentary relating to why you should care about it.

For you free-to-play folk, yeah, Funcom did lock your AAs behind the paywall for the time being, and yeah there is quite a difference between a "fresh" level 80 and a level 80 who has had even a little bit of AA training. Join me past the cut to see if upgrading is worth it.

Continue reading The Anvil of Crom: Alternate advancement explained

MassivelyThe Anvil of Crom: Alternate advancement explained originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PAX 2011: SWTOR Alderaan PvP session captured on video

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 09:00 AM PDT

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Star Wars The Old Republic - Alderaan PvP
Darth Hater has posted a new Star Wars The Old Republic clip direct from this year's Pax Prime. The clip was captured on a hand-held camera, so the quality isn't the greatest, but we do get a good long look at the Alderaan warzone PvP (as well as some dancing Sith Inquisitors, if you're into that sort of silliness).

The video runs for around 10 minutes, and we get to see quite a lot of action as well as a good bit of the layout of the Alderaan warzone. Also of note is TOR's unique take on respawning after death. There's no annoying countdown timer like in your standard online PvP match. Instead, you'll spawn on your ship and have to fly a speederbike back to the battle zone in real time, which gives you a tactical view of what's going on as well as the feeling of still participating in the game as opposed to watching a clock for several seconds. Check out the clip after the cut.

Massively's on the ground in Seattle during the weekend of August 26-28, bringing you all the best news from PAX Prime 2011. Whether you're dying to know more about SWTOR, Guild Wars 2, City of Heroes, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!

Continue reading PAX 2011: SWTOR Alderaan PvP session captured on video

MassivelyPAX 2011: SWTOR Alderaan PvP session captured on video originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Chat: Choosing your path edition

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 08:00 AM PDT

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This looked far creepier in real life.  I promise.
Welcome to this week's Global Chat! We love hearing what you have to say at Massively, and we love it even more when we can share the best comments with all of our readers. Massively staffers will be contributing some of their favorite comments every week, so keep an eye out every Sunday for more Global Chat!

This week's comments have proved to be all about decisions. Where do you want to go in a game that you purchased when you often have a broad variety of choices available? What game should you support in the hopes that it will succeed? Should you hope for another game to die so that your favorite one might live? Will you go down the creepy forest path or run back to the car?

OK, maybe that last one wasn't in the comments this week, but the rest of them were. Jump on past the break to see some of the choice comments from the past week's articles.

Continue reading Global Chat: Choosing your path edition

MassivelyGlobal Chat: Choosing your path edition originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Daily Grind: Does Origin's new EULA make you feel better about playing an EA game?

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT

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Origin Logo
So Electronic Arts has this digital rights management service called Origin, which was reincarnated from the former EA Store back in July of this year. It basically allows you to download certain purchased EA games straight from the tubes of the internet. It seemed harmless enough to the general MMO community... until fans began to worry that they'd need Origin in order to download and play Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare has since reassured the community to the contrary, but that didn't stop the concerns.

A few crafty fans of the upcoming MMO looked more deeply into the service, which sparked an eruption of rage. Origin was denounced as everything from spyware to an elaborate identify theft system. EA recently responded by changing the service's EULA, making it absolutely clear that the company is not out to steal anyone's personal information.

But is that enough for you? Has Origin completely soured you on SWTOR and any other EA game, or do you trust the new Origin EULA? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

MassivelyThe Daily Grind: Does Origin's new EULA make you feel better about playing an EA game? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Massively exclusive: Luvinia Online enchants, crafts, enhances and reshapes

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 06:00 PM PDT

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Luvinia Online
On the last exciting episode of Luvinia Online Exposé, Outspark shared with us some of the design plans and interesting mechanics behind its gear system for this upcoming title. Today, it's all about enchanting -- the interesting art of taking something and pimping the heck out of it -- and other cool ways to customize the items in your inventory.

So what does Luvinia's system for gear upgrades look like, and how can players best utilize these features to fine-tune their characters' potential? We'll let the devs at Outspark answer this for themselves:

You gotta have options

Last time we talked a little bit about some ways to make what you've got even better with energy stones. While the energy stones are temporary and add quite a bit of personalized bang for the buck, there are also a few ways to permanently update your gear to better suit your role. The two big ones we'll cover are enchanting and card placement, but there are a few other tricks in game to help you too.

Continue reading Massively exclusive: Luvinia Online enchants, crafts, enhances and reshapes

MassivelyMassively exclusive: Luvinia Online enchants, crafts, enhances and reshapes originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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China and Korea partner to form a $46M investment fund for game developers

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 05:00 PM PDT

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Three Kingdoms Online
It may seem like a case of strange bedfellows -- China and South Korea aren't exactly buddy-buddy -- but through the magic of gaming, the two countries are growing closer than ever before. Recently, Chinese company Kunlun announced that it's partnering with the Korean government to whip up a $46 million investment fund for game developers.

Kunlun is a major player in China, claiming a respective 20% of the market in the country with over $187 million in sales last year, enough to take second place. The company owns Koramgame, an MMO publisher that's made inroads with both the Chinese and Korean markets with titles like Three Kingdoms Online and Dynasty Saga. Koramgame already has over two million subscribers worldwide.

Koramgame's Joe Zhou hopes that it'll capture a slice of the American pie, too: "We are catching more and more attention from North American gamers now."

MassivelyChina and Korea partner to form a $46M investment fund for game developers originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Secret World's beta signup postponed

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 04:00 PM PDT

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The Secret World - secret war map
Those of you all hot and bothered for the start of The Secret World's beta registration event will need to avail yourselves of a cold shower (or at least a couple of tall, cold adult beverages). Funcom has announced that its ARG-infused signup event is not quite ready for prime time, and there's no time table on the rescheduling, either.

A blurb on the game's website delivers the official "we're deeply sorry for the inconvenience" yada yada and also goes on to say that the registration for The Secret War event is delayed "until further notice."

We'll keep our eyes peeled, and our heads on a swivel, as it's no doubt the fault of those dastardly Illuminati.

[Thanks to Paul for the tip!]

MassivelyThe Secret World's beta signup postponed originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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One Shots: Stop and smell the tree

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 02:00 PM PDT

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RIFT tree screenshot
Today's One Shot comes to us from reader Johanis, who describes a special tree in RIFT that caught his character's eye:
While questing in RIFT, my Rogue Simbala has so often run by this tree located near Hammerlord Post in Moonshade Highlands and admired how it stretches over the road. Each time, she stops to admire its beauty and the way its pink leaves slowly blow off into the wind and the glow it casts. In all my travels so far in RIFT, this spot is memorable.
We're looking at the best MMO environments all this week, but next week we'll be revisiting another old favorite of One Shots: bug week. Whether it's unwanted guests in cutscenes, funny graphic glitches, or a prank you played on a buddy, we want to see. Send your screenshots in to oneshots@massively.com and we'll feature them in next week's One Shots!

MassivelyOne Shots: Stop and smell the tree originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mog Log: Land and Hand rising

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT

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The Mog Log header illustration by A. Fienemann
Two big pieces of news came out of the development pipeline for Final Fantasy XIV over the past couple of weeks. First, we're seeing a big streamlining process coming to crafting. Second, we're seeing a brand-new stealth ability for Disciples of the Land and only Disciples of the Land. Like clockwork, the former has already started prompting questions about dumbing down the game or stripping out the fun of crafting, and the latter has prompted all sorts of questions about balance and whether or not it's removing something integral to the game.

Of course, we've also seen no shortage of people happy about both of these changes; I don't mean to imply that there's some sort of uniform opposition to this approach. And these are big changes, without a doubt. Coeurl Step essentially removes monsters from the equation for all but the rarest gathering attempts, and changes to synthesis greatly simplify the system's overall level of complexity. It's easy to see both of these as negatives, but it's also easy to see both of them as positives when you look at the roles of the classes in the game and the overall thrust of the changes.

Continue reading The Mog Log: Land and Hand rising

MassivelyThe Mog Log: Land and Hand rising originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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PAX 2011: WildStar panel discusses playing with paths the Bartle way

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 12:00 PM PDT

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I'm lost at sea, don't bother me, I've lost my way.
Before Gamescom, WildStar was nothing more than a title without a hint of what the game would actually promise. But now that the game is being shown off, the combination of a unique aesthetic with a promise of uniquely focal gameplay has gotten a lot of people interested. The visuals, of course, have already been well-displayed by the trailers and preview shots, so this year's panel at PAX 2011 focused instead on the other half of the equation: the paths.

The panel began with a brief viewing of the game's cinematic trailer to kick things off, followed by an explanation of the game's core design philosophy. As the team from Carbine Studios (Jeremy Gaffney, Eric DeMilt, and Mike Donatelli) put it, most games are built with a basic set of design assumptions that push players in a fixed direction determined by the designers. WildStar was built from the ground up to let players enjoy the game when they want to, with whomever they want, and most importantly however they want. The paths are the key to that system -- multiple overlaid playstyles that ensure you have your own play experience no matter what class or race you pick.

Continue reading PAX 2011: WildStar panel discusses playing with paths the Bartle way

MassivelyPAX 2011: WildStar panel discusses playing with paths the Bartle way originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tattered Notebook: Jeremy and I go house-hunting

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 11:00 AM PDT

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As I write this, EverQuest II's Game Update 61, The War of Zek, is about to hit live servers. There are several exciting changes on the way, including the itemization revamp, two new scalable dungeons for levels 60-90, a new AA tree for tradeskillers, an AA revamp, and a new questline that gives the Fae and Arasai the ability to fly. For those at the level cap, there is a new dungeon and raid zone that continues the overarching storyline, and all stats are now uncapped. Those who like questing can find new content in Eastern Wastes. And everyone can now record her adventures on YouTube with a new Video Capture system.

There's a plethora of new content that will appeal to both new and veteran gamers, but of all the additions, the one that's most intriguing is the new house rating system. Players will now be able to design, showcase, and rank each other's homes. The housing directory will also make it a lot easier to find and visit players' homes, something that was increasingly difficult to do because of all the different types of homes -- and addresses.

As it so happens, Massively's Jeremy Stratton, who pens the Runes of Magic column Lost Pages of Taborea, has been spending quite a bit of time over in EQII's Norrath and fell in love with the housing system. This week's Tattered Notebook features Jeremy's impressions of housing in EQII, and then he and I present a few tips for those who are interested in showcasing homes through the new system.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Jeremy and I go house-hunting

MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Jeremy and I go house-hunting originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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General gaming

General gaming


Postcard from PAX: The Most Touching PAX Moment Ever

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 08:53 PM PDT

James Silva, friend of 1UP and creator of such XBLA hits has Dishwasher: Vampire Smile and I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1NIT!!!1 just had one of the one of the coolest marriage proposals ever. He and his girlfriend Michelle were showing off his new game Charlie Murder at the show, and unbeknownst to her, he actually programmed a special hack into the demo -- a marriage proposal. As a crowd of friends in on the surprise began to gather, he asked her to come over and see something in the game. She covered her mouth in surprise as the proposal scene happened in the game, and then he dropped to one knee and popped the question to her personally.

As you can only imagine, she said yes.

Postcard From PAX: Hide yo Kids!

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 07:13 PM PDT

Yo PAX enforcers, time to bring in Chris Hansen.

Postcard from PAX: The Digital Game Museum: Keeping Old Games Alive Since Just a Little Bit Ago

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 07:08 PM PDT

If you've got some free time at PAX -- hell, even if you don't -- make your way to the sixth floor showroom and check out the Digital Game Museum's booth. They're a new organization dedication to preserving gaming history, and that's a damned honorable goal if there ever was one. As seen in the pic above, they have quite a selection of old game packaging on hand (though the organization seeks to preserve more than just boxes), along with all the physical trinkets and doo-dads games used to contain back when the user base consisted entirely of dedicated nerds (and I say that with affection). You can also play a few old PC games at the booth, and I managed to mess around with The Curse of Monkey Island enough to land it on my "must replay soon" list. But perhaps the coolest thing about the Digital Games Museum project is the fact that you can adopt the game of your choice for an entire year for just 20 dollars -- and guys, I'm calling dibs on Maniac Mansion.

Postcard from PAX: Best Bomberman Ever?

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 07:00 PM PDT

I stumbled out of the sixth floor showroom to find what appeared to be some insane version of Bomberman being projected onto a large, blank wall of the convention center. Turns out the game isn't just Bomberman; it also happens to be the Best Bomberman Ever -- at least, that's what the rep from Big Screen, Small Games told me. I'm no Bomberman expert, so I couldn't verify his claims, but I can at least say that the handful of rounds I played were just the break I needed from my constant schlepping around the show floor. And hey, you can even try the game for yourself at the very reasonable price of zero dollars. If we're strictly talking economics, I believe this game could indeed qualify as the best.

Postcard from PAX: Mommy, What's Wrong with That Man's Face?

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 06:50 PM PDT

You're looking at XCOM's presence at PAX -- this sole figure, apparently in the throes of some sort of alien attack. But that's all there is to this display; there's no PR person, no monitors showing gameplay footage, no booth babes hiding their utter contempt for the attendees. While a loud and angry setup would certainly fit the X-Com legacy, the amount of people snapping photos of this poor guy told me you don't have to spend ungodly amounts of money on promotion to generate buzz. So, kudos to you, 2K Games; I can honestly say that I haven't been so creeped out by a mannequin since Mannequin 2.

Postcard from PAX: Quantum Conundrum Fills Me With Joy

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT

I haven't had a chance to take a step back and take a look at 2011 in gaming, but if you held a gun to my head, I wouldn't hesitate to say that Portal 2 was my favorite game of this year. Just thinking about the pure, unadulterated fun I had with that game has me itching to play it again -- but alas, I'm in Seattle, far away from any computer that could run the thing (plus, I would probably anger my boss/roommate if I spent valuable PAX time playing old video games).

So why am I bringing up Portal 2 out of nowhere? Well, if you somehow managed to get this far without reading the headline, my Portal ruminations are entirely the fault of Quantum Conundrum, the latest game from Kim Swift -- which I happened to check out this morning in a hands-off demo. Feel free to judge me based on this statement, but I couldn't help but feel a burst of elation after walking out of that suite in the musty old Fairmont Hotel (which seemed to be holding some sort of mummy convention, based on the ages of the people milling about the lobby). I wanted to run down the street, shouting at passersby -- perhaps in a Jimmy Stewart from It's a Wonderful Life cadence -- "Video games are great!" So I guess I shouldn't have to tell you that Quantum Conundrum impressed the living hell out of me.

Postcard from PAX: MMOs On The Go

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 11:46 AM PDT

In pre-Internet olden times, MMORPGs had to travel from town to town, dispensing quests and experience points before heading out to their next destination. Thankfully, these days are behind us, but NCsoft has stuck to the old traditions by employing a van to cruise the streets of Seattle and spread awareness of guilds and their possible wars. And since the thing isn't moving very fast, skateboarders of the city will certainly appreciate the abundance of skitching opportunities the Guild Warsmobile offers.

PAX: Ken Levine on Making BioShock Infinitely Believable

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 11:43 AM PDT

Irrational's BioShock Infinite practically swept the awards at this year's E3 with an amazing, albeit hands-off, demo that showed the player navigating the skyborne city of Columbia as a former Pinkerton agent named Booker along with a young woman named Elizabeth whose mysterious powers are the source of one of Infinite's key play mechanics as well as the baleful attention of its seeming nemesis, a clockwork automaton called Songbird. The constant character byplay between Booker and Elizabeth was the most impressive aspect of the demo by far, as the two shared a sort of tense banter about every situation they encountered, from the mundane (browsing a shop) to the fantastic (warping nearly a century forward in time to an alternate-reality 1983). I had the opportunity to speak to Irrational chief Ken Levine this morning at PAX; he's hear with voice actors Troy Baker (Booker) and Courtnee Draper (Elizabeth) to offer showgoers a glimpse behind the scenes of the voice sessions for the E3 demo. The making-of material to be shown at this afternoon's panel is fascinating; it doesn't depict people recording in an isolated booth as with most animation and games, but rather a fully interactive session in which Levine, Baker, and Draper bounced ideas off each other and even employ a bit of harsh, verbally abusive method acting to make sure that Draper's tearful performances are legitimate. These harrowing creative moments help demonstrate exactly why people are so excited about Infinite, though; Irrational is aiming for a truly engaging character-driven narrative, and Levine has offered a little insight into the philosophy and tech that's being poured into their effort to make Infinite's floating city in the turn-of-the-century sky the most emotionally convincing game ever.

Postcard from PAX: You Really Like Us

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 11:39 AM PDT

I've probably mentioned several million times that it's still incredibly surreal for me to now exist in the land of games journalism; I spent so many years on the sidelines (and freelancing) learning about the likes and dislikes of different people that it's sometimes odd to meet them face-to-face. For example, yesterday I not only got to meet Chris Kohler and Jeff Green -- I also sat alongside them as one of their peers! And please note that I could have embarrassed myself in front of Jeff due to my admiration of his former 1UP podcast, but I stuck to the relatively subdued "I loved GFW Radio, but you probably could have guessed that." I hope he appreciated my self-control.

Sadly, we weren't able to record this one, so you may not get a chance to hear it outside of the underground bootleg podcast scene which I'm guessing doesn't exist. But to those of who could attend: thanks! I've only been a real 1UP staffer for just a handful of months, so I appreciated all of the kind comments about my work and the Retronauts podcast. Your motivation keeps us going; just ask any writer out there. Thanks for coming out if you could make it, and double-thanks for going easy on EarthBound during all of the game slandering. You guys are seriously the best.

MMORPG News

MMORPG News


General: Space Pirates & Zombies: Who Could Ask for More?

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 09:12 AM PDT

Sister site RTSGuru.com is sponsoring a cool giveaway for S.P.A.Z., Space Pirates & Zombies. It's simple: Enter your email address at RTSGuru.com; follow RTSGuru or SPAZ on Twitter OR share the contest URL on Facebook and leave a comment. The best thirty entries will win!

General: Win Gears of War 3!

Posted: 27 Aug 2011 09:08 AM PDT

Sister site FPSGuru.com is running a contest where the prize is a copy of Gears of War 3, one of the most anticipated FPS titles coming this year. All it takes is a quick visit between now and September 20th to sign up to win a copy of GoW3 for XBox 360!

Scarlet Legacy: The Sunglow Clan - Masters of the Healing Arts

Posted: 26 Aug 2011 10:19 AM PDT

GamesCampus has partnered with MMORPG.com to bring our readers exclusive lore behind the game. In the latest installment of the Scarlet Legacy lore series, we are treated to a look at the Sunglow Clan, the healing specialists of the realm. Keep reading to find out more!

MMO updates

MMO updates


Gotham City Imposters - When Batman ain't home

Posted: 28 Aug 2011 01:05 AM PDT


(Register for Beta) I knew I was missing a game which I forgot to post about. I saw Gotham City Imposters first at work, thinking I could get something up on the game when I got home a few weeks back, but sadly my memory failed me. So here it is, a few weeks late, one of the many multiplayer FPS to hit the gaming scene next year.


The game occurs in Gotham City, the hometown of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, when he isn't in town. Imposters dressing up as Batman and the Joker starts turning the area into their own playground, hence the game's title. You can choose to either side with the imposter heroes or the villains while re-sculpting the town into a concrete wasteland. I am guessing there will be more imposters in the future, perhaps Penguin, Two-Face and even Robin!


Gotham City Imposters, if you are wondering, is a fully licensed game from DC Comics, hence not the copies and clones you see coming out from China like the recent Hunter Blade (link). The game will be available in 2012 on PS3, Xbox and PC. As a download-only title, I am thinking it will most probably be a Free to Play with Cash Shop as the business model, pretty much like Battlefield Heroes. Remember to signup for Beta!


MMOGaming News

MMOGaming News


Blizzard: 20 Year Anniversary Photo Gallery

Posted:

Blizzard: 20 Year Anniversary Photo Gallery


A lot has happened over the last two decades about Blizzard. Check out the photo gallery to see a few choice slices of the company's history, including some photos of our earliest office spaces and the brave men who assembled their own desks! In the snow! Uphill! Both ways!

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