Iksar's Response On The Lack Of Communication
Hearthstone's developer Dean "Iksar" Ayala has shared what's going on with the lack of communication, if the expansion will be right on time & more.
Quote from IksarOur focus has been on supporting each other and planning action for how we can make our work a better place for everyone. Something we've clearly failed at in the past.
Having any celebration is a hard sell right now. I can assure you the only hesitation we have with moving forward with things like streams or card reveals is out of the respect for our co-workers. This is an incredibly important time to reflect and make sure we chart the best path forward. There is no gag order, no legal team telling us what we can and can't say. Our focus is simply on each other right now.
All that said, we still care about our work and are still passionate about delivering a great game. It's the whole reason most of us are here in the first place. We don't have plans to delay our launch or push back further developments. We are just taking time to make sure we get this moment right.
Quote from CoraPlease understand that we're also confused and disappointed right now. This is not how anybody wanted this reveal season to go, but there are more important things that need to take priority. As for communication, there are some things that it isn't my place to say publicly.
Wake the F up samurai... we have a company to BURN!
The whole situation is impossible for the average employee there to navigate . The victims and perpetrators are going to go through a legal process that at the end of the day any reasonable, not-sociopathic human being hope results in justice.
But for all the other employees, the ones that come in everyday and do their best, who treat each other with respect and decency - what's to become of them? Are they to be shamed by proxy, have their efforts destroyed or ignored? This whole thing is awful, but there are a lot of people here impacted by this in more ways than just what's in a lawsuit. I think anything the people who are left behind to pick up the pieces are doing is monumental.
And the fans who love the game and the company that made it, sure they aren't owed anything, but if there is to a Blizzard at the end of this it's going to have to be a better one - one that's transparent and validates the concerns of it's base and assures that same base that this not only won't, but can't happen anymore. In response the fans should do what they can to support the average Team 5/Blizzard dev/employee that is doing what they can to make sure there is light at the end of that tunnel.
I can't read this anything but "I bought packs/lootboxes, remember that I am the only sole source of your income because companies don't pay their employees salaries so I demand you do everything I say or else"
Whenever a "gamer" (ugh) says he is "supporting" (blech) a game, I get sick in my stomach.
Whoever you are, remember that you are a just a customer. You are not a game developer, you do not have responsibilities towards the gaming company, you do not have responsibilities towards paying the game company employees' salaries, you do not have responsibilities towards keeping the game alive by "supporting" it. If a game dies it dies. If a company is having legal issues then it is not your responsibilities to investigate. You don't even have an obligation to quit "supporting" the company or raise awareness.
Oh give me a ********** break. He makes it sound like they're all suddenly huddled around, in tears, singing "Kumbaya" during work hours.
Literally nothing has changed in the offices. They aren't "comforting each other," as there's nothing to be comforted over.
Not with that attitude.
U always support the devs it's just the clowns and marketting in management pulling the strings and making HORRIBLE $$ decisions
how long will this go on
Except he did say Blizzard owes us something. He wants them to continue making or releasing content because we, the customer, shouldnt suffer due to their internal struggles. That is entitlement by definition.
"there are some things that it isn't my place to say publicly" - monetization for example...
I support this. Always support the devs.
While I wish Blizzard well and support people who work there this is extremely bad way to handle the situation and.... NO. This is NOT how you deal with it. This is childish and selfish and you turn back on people who are supporting you and probably millions of people who are not even involved enough to even know what is going on (and they simply are not obligated to).
Releasing a fucking sentence of statement explaining why you are cancelling (still childish because if you are sad or have problems then go and protest, not go to work and what? forget about fans?) stream would be enough and most of the people would understand.
Unless you are of course ALL INVOLVED...
no offense but the card reveal is the last thing on their mind, and it should be the same for you.
I think crying over some cards for a videogame being released a few days later is several times more childish than complaining over ones working conditions but maybe it’s me
They can't even get their story straight for a public comment...
Iksar:
"There is no gag order, no legal team telling us what we can and can't say. "
Cora:
"there are some things that it isn't my place to say publicly."
Those two statements down sound mutually exclusive though?
i don't think you understand the context here properly.
I mean having legal telling you not to say stuff, and the HS team itself are kinda different. Could be PR telling em not to say stuff.
Everyone sees the world differently, and thanks to twitter and social media BS attitudes are becoming more and more aggressive. They couldn't win here.
Personally I am not interested in Activison's corporate BS, nor do I care that much about them delaying/pulling card reveals if thats what they want to do.
The accusations are directed at Blizzard employees working on Blizzard games not Activision employees.
You realize they, Blizzard, owe you nothing, right? They can release when they are good and ready. Right now, they have stated they are still releasing the expansion on time but currently they are doing what they havent done much of in the past 20 years and respecting and caring for their own. If they need more time, then so be it. You feeling entitled to something because you are a "loyal customer" is a terrible attitude. Entitlement is something earned.