When you think mobile gaming, chances are that super-casual (and extremely cheap) titles come to mind. Blizzard might be looking to change that stereotype, as its execs are publicly mulling over future mobile development with deeper, more serious titles.
In an interview with Venture Beat, President Michael Morhaime, Senior Vice President Frank Pearce, and Senior Vice President Chris Metzen hinted at some of the paths that the studio might take in its upcoming titles. The execs said that “conscious evaluation” was being given to bringing deeper titles like StarCraft to mobile platforms.
“I feel like there’s still a big opportunity in mobile beyond just casual games,” Morhaime stated. “I’m not sure we’ve figured out what that is yet.”
As for its existing line-up, the studio has an ongoing challenge to deliver new content regularly to a voracious audience. “One of the important challenges for me is to figure out how we can do more with less manpower,” Pearce said. “The World of Warcraft [core development] team is 250 people, and they’re able to create a tremendous amount of content. But all of us would still like to get more content into the hands of the community, more quickly.”
Blizzard said that some of its future goals include “dominating esports,” developing for all six of its current franchises, fostering a friendlier player environment, striving for diversity, and making it easier for players to create and share content. One thing the studio isn’t pursuing is virtual reality — at least for the time being.
