StarCraft can be said to be famous in the game circle, such as thunder. But the Blizzard Company (Blizzard) that produces "StarCraft" is far less famous. In fact, Blizzard has become a myth of the game industry, and the story behind it is intriguing.
Blizzard is a myth of the game industry, and 10 years created an unprecedented classic. Its success has a lot of mystery, but it is obvious to the game industry in the group, and the authoritative work has been the desire and motivation of Blizzard.
Three years to grind a sword
In 1991, two United States UCLA University graduates Mike Mohuu Morhaime and Allen Adham have created Silicon & Synapse. At the beginning, some simple chess games were developed. The "rock" and "lost pirate" developed in the year were fortunate to become a super game for the United States to be ported to Japan. In 1994, Blizzard was acquired by a famous issued company. In this year, only 15 employees, including programmers, designers, plotters, and audiots, and launched the "Blizzard" and the "Blizzard" and the "Warcraft (World of Warcraft)". And the first time I posted the label of "Blizzard" on her own product box.
At the time, the game company developed a product without a huge fee, but the return rate was quite rich. Therefore, a set of "Warcraft (World of Warcraft) has earned enough re-yield capital for Blizzard. In 1995, Blizzard was hot and taking the iron, launched "Warcraft II (Warcraft II)", gaining greater success, with more than one million sales.
In 1996, Blizzard's second series of boutique "Diablo (Diablo (Diablo)" is listed, 18 days sells 1 million sets; the second year, "Diablo II (Diablo)" listed soon sold 2.5 million sets , Becoming the best-selling game in the same year.
In 1998, Blizzard is already a big family, and the wealth is rough. It has accumulated strong strength to launch "Starcraft (StarCraft)". Before the "STARCRAFT (StarCraft)" "STARCRAFT" "" STARCRAFT "" is known as "Time Boutique", Blizzard has prepared 1 million sets, just an appearance, waiting for the long-awaited players to be sought after, and 1 million sets of three months selling empty, Become the game of the world's largest sales. The second year, "Starcraft (StarCraft)" sensational South Korea, sold 1 million sets in the local area, and South Korea has also become the largest user country "Starcraft (StarCraft)".
In the global game industry, the fierce competition has reached your level of life. In this cruel competition, how can every game on Blizzard is so good? Simply put, the development of Blizzard can be concatenated as a word: "Interesting". In the case of players, Blizzard's game has depth playability, and a few months cannot grasp the essence. "Star-fighting" is playing for three months. Generally, it can only begin to gently peek, and the space of drilling is very large.
Blizzard only launched a total of 6 games in 10 years, and the "Warcraft Series" accounted for half. Strictly speaking, only three series of games, the average of three years of grinding a sword. The history of blizzard is so simple.
Tough early years
Speaking of the stories in the early years of blizzard, not all the gorgeous colorful colorful, more than Blizzard is more difficult.
The purpose of the two entrepreneurs in Blizzard is very clear: doing yourself, more popular games. The development of a game is often taken for more than one year or more, and the cycle of investment and returns is relatively long. In the early days, Mike Mo Hui and Allen? Adehan often needs to extract cash from a personal credit card to support the company from a personal credit card to support the individual's loans. During that time, their stress is quite large, and it is necessary to transfer the maximum enthusiasm of the employee to play their talents, but also to bear the pain that only does not enter the "cultivation period". At that time, from the perspective of funds, they almost all. In the end, Mike Mo Hui and Allen? Ade Khan has been touched in the most difficult period, which prompted them to stick to the power of making great games; the persistent pursuit of the business; for the company's future yearning. Mountain darkly, vista. In the face of today's glory, reviewing the hard year, Mike Memumi humblely, "we are very lucky", "luck is next to us." However, no one knows, starting a company, especially the top peak of the industry, is impossible to rely on "lucky". At the beginning of this year, the beginning of the blizzard, the most interesting is not funds, but the company's name, no one knows "Synapse" is something! In 1993, Mike Mo Hui and Allen Ade Journey renamed Silicon & Synapse as Chaos Studio, unexpectedly, a company in New York has registered this name and proposes a transfer of $ 100,000 fee. Mike Mo Hui admits that if it is not too high, Blizzard may be a company named "Ogre Studios" today. Finally, Allen Ade Khan found the word "Blizzard (Blizzard)" from the dictionary, so decided to officially name the company as Blizzard Entertainment. every dog has his day. At the beginning of 1994, the famous US issued company Davidson & Associates had a great interest in Blizzard, proposed the intention of the acquisition, and the blizzard has repeatedly married with the other party. For many creative game companies, acquisitions often mean death, but Blizzard is different from general mergers and acquisitions, they have never abandon the autonomy of the game. It is based on this right, Blizzard growth is a global "game empire" today.
In 1996, Blizzard acquired Condor. If Blizzard is acquired by Davidson & Associates, it has a funding back shield. So, the acquisition of Condor let the Blizzard are like Tiger, and have a batch of software R & D elites.
Only the authority products were sold in 1995, Blizzard took out $ 300,000, used for 10 months, completed the sequel "Warcraft II (World of Warcraft II)" in Warcraft (Warcraft II).
At the time, the market was dim, "Warcraft II (Warcraft II)", sold 500,000 sets in the world in just 4 months, became the first product of Blizzard to break through millions of sales, was "PC Game" magazine For the best multiplayer games, 2.5 million sets were sold in this three years. "Warcraft II (Warcraft II)" Let Blizzard become a dazzling gold signboard, let players in the world remember this name.
After the "Warcraft II (World of Warcraft II) got a huge success, Blizzard put forward new and more challenges. Only develop the authoritative works of the first flow. This is also a major strategy that the Blizzard has been determined by this. Next, if Blizzard continues to develop "Warcraft III", it may be the most powerful and stable practice, but the company's senior hope can achieve a new breakthrough, so the development team puts forward the idea of making science fiction, It has been introduced more successful "Starcraft". Blizzard's business strategy is to make a brand, not a famous brand. The brand is not equal to the brand, the reason is very simple, the brand is just a familiar, and the brand is the truly recognition of the player! Unlimited extension "Battle Network"
In 1997, Blizzard set up online server "Battle.Net" and named "Battle Network". The emergence of "Battle Network" is that Blizzard's sensational feelings and accurate grasp of the Internet era, and its importance is not over. In 1998, with the "Starcraft (StarCraft)" popular "," Battle Network "is also growing and prosperous. The two complement each other, and it is common. In 1999, Blizzard held a competition in the "Battle Network", provided 20,000 US dollars in cash and prizes, and global players competed, set off a unprecedented online game war.
After "Battle Network", "Starcraft (StarCraft)" appeared sharply, players around the world, the truth, the truth, and the fun. Many people are drunk, sleep uneasy. Blizzard "Battle Network" although free service, the player must have genuine blizzard games to enter the "Battle Network". In 2000, Blizzard has 13 million users in the world, and the registered users of "Battle Network" have reached 7.5 million, and 120,000 days are online. According to this, the income of blizzard is considerable.
In order to cooperate with new products, the Blizzard further strengthens the anti-piracy function, and the control of CD-Key on the "Battle Network" will be more stringent, pirated games are difficult to have the opportunity to appreciate its endless interest. Tens of millions of players will bring rolling resources for Blizzard.
Low-key style
At the global game circle, the player has not played very much "Starcraft" ", I don't know if the savage entrepreneur experience is quite, an important reason is that Blizzard is always unwilling to speculate on themselves with the media. In 1998, Allen Ade Khan resigned, chairman of the president, chairman of the board of directors, by Mike Mo Huaimi. From the first-line retreat, as a consultant, Allen Ade Kelly hopes that you can have enough time and return to the game design. Quite funny is that the news of Allen Ade Khan resigned did not have any repercussions in players, and did not lower the player's good impression of Blizzard. A very simple reason is that in addition to Blizzard, no one really knows. Who is Allen Ade Khan, what he is doing. "We love the game design work, but we need to condense the focus on the game product!" Joy from the game development process, enough to let the blizzard entrepreneurs avoid any temptation of the outside world, this kind of passion dedicated to the career makes them silently Towards, even to a large extent to maintain the links of the external world. In Blizzard, all from the boss to the employees are low-key, the company's gate is also open to the outside world, and the whole of the snow is only focused on their own career. This, some of the big names of the boss in China do not know the strange control of the products.
Unopened talent strategy
1. Don't love to play games, it is intended to guide every employee to understand the game
In the game industry, the ratio of Blizzard employee hopping is the lowest, although some employees have also generated independently in recent years. But the unique is that Blizzard is not like other companies, but regards independent entrepreneurs as enemies, but respects their entrepreneurship and keeps friendship with them. Since the 1990s, many people in the United States have been proud of being ridden in a man-in, while Blizzard selection talents is very quirky. First, the candidates must truly love and master the game, the officials of the blizzard are all gamers, game engineers are playing their competitors Sierra, the "Counter Strike". This phenomenon is difficult to exist in other game companies, many companies do not encourage employees from playing games. Blizzard's intention is to guide every employee to understand the game, to establish the basis for developing excellent products suitable for players tastes. According to this principle, the people who should be hiring in blizzard rely on hard back game knowledge. It is impossible to make it. When the personnel supervisor interview, it will even have a step by step.
In addition to the enthusiasm and loyalty to the game, Blizzard also pays attention to employee's technical quality, and the minimum academic qualifications of Blizzard art designers are doctors. In Blizzard, many experience and technology game makers in the year of 5 years, the company will reward them a medieval long sword for commemoration. They grow with the company, the company's benefits are closely hooked with employee's personal income.
2. Only the degree of paranoid madness to your career can we have the spirit of your work.
When the "StarCraft", the design of Jeff Strain was designed to redefine the critical moment of the task processing module, and the wife was developed. He took a wife's phone, he immediately went to the company's computer department to borrow a laptop, and then rushed to the home. The daughter is in the abdomen of the mother, and his wife has begun, he uses these five or six hours, complete the full programming of "Starcraft" "before the wife's boast. After the wife, the wife was awake from the anesthesia, and loudly and loudly: "Why did our daughter are born, are you still working for your death?" This spirit of forgetting my work is reflected in every employee of Blizzard, Blizzard The people have almost a kind of love for the career. Many senior managers have sent such a feeling: "In addition to the family, it is best to bring happiness for me to develop games for the company." In the eyes of Blizzard employees, The game is not just a job, but also a lifestyle.
Moderate expansion strategy
In 2000, Blizzard has developed into an international famous company with 150 employees, game development and technology, and is no longer a studio that is only 15 people. The strength is sufficient to ensure the simultaneous development of two games.
But Mike Mo Hui frankly, the biggest challenge for Blizzard is to find the genius necessary to realize the company's game development concept and ensure that the company's culture is not damaged. He said, "We don't want to be a company with 1000 employees, but I think that Blizzard will eventually develop to Six or seven development teams without sacrificing the quality, but do less, but must do better."
