After all the leaks from numerous developers, all admitting how majorly Management crippled the game with their destructive behaviour. Now, the same people have the audacity to ask their developers to “voluntarily” crunch in order to get the game out of the gate in god knows what state, AND ask the fans to pay 70 bucks MINIMUM just to access the game. Plus battle pass, plus cash shop, plus paid expansions! 
This is nothing sort of ridiculous at this point
You know if you put other companies under magnifying glass, you’ll see the same 
. Blizzard is just more interesting because of the allegations and the Diablo:Immortal fiasco, and that you actually pay close attention.
With 6 months to release I think its premature to think they won’t have a good game by June. I still have hope and looking forward to the release.
The whole “voluntary” crunch thing is and has been standard for an extremely long time in game development as a whole. The reality is that as long as the game is good, people generally don’t actually care what the developers went through to make it.
At least, not enough people care enough to not buy the game over it to the point where it makes any difference.
Battle pass, mtx, etc. is all also now standard fare for Blizzard games. They’ve realized that as much as some of us gripe about it, our complaints mean less than nothing compared to the insane amounts of money people will throw at those systems.
Is this news from 2010? Sounds like AAA gaming companies since at least 2010.
It’s also the norm for manufacturing, only it’s for monthly revenue. End of the month crunch.
In my life on the launch site it was a specific date due to orbital dynamics. Then it was 12 hours a day 7 days a week - Those 84 hour work weeks were such a pain!
https://media.tenor.com/OtjbBfwQHeIAAAAC/fizzer1k-5597.gif
Almost a shame I can’t embed it. But not quite.
You mean “AAA” games like Anthem?
I mean all of them without exception. If talking mostly about crunch tho, it dates back to the inception of the industry. Difference is, whenever an enthusiast is willing to work a lot just to make it, i’m fine with it. Their own choice. Pushing it on all of the employees with contracts n stuff is another matter entirely.
David Brevik said himself, that he was doing it a lot, and kinda doesn’t mind it. But it did influence his health and life in a bad way, and is still bad as an idea. Diablo post mortem and lots of interviews as source.
This is true, But it was mostly small development shops that did this. Like back when Blizzard was a small development shop and they the developers ran the game and the shop. Now it would seem that the developers have nothing more than a concept to be butchered and gutted by the project managers who get the order to do so by the C-level people to cut cost at any cost. Like the art work for instance. very sad.
The fact is, some games are train wrecks like Anthem, while others are well thought out and excellently executed like God of War. Both in the AAA category, guess which way D4 is heading due to poor management.
What is ridiculous is people are still preordering. Most big companies do not listen to their customers, they listen to their $$$$$$. By all these people still throwing their money at Blizz without seeing the final product, they are saying what they are doing is OK.
I would wager 50% of the people who are on here crying about the potential condition of the game are still throwing preorders at Blizz.
Everyone needs to vote with their dollar. That is all they care about.
We assuming things based on leaks, rumors and speculations.
We don’t know how many of these things might be 100% accurate or which is the truth for real.
Also we don’t know what are the present conditions inside the Diablo team, in which stage the game is right now and if there is a need for so much pressure in order for the game to be released in June or if it was to be released earlier but it was delayed due to bad management.
We form an opinion from things we here and read from here and there.
I would say just wait to see and play the game first.
“We” are assuming things based on an article that uses former and active Blizzard employees as a source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2022/12/08/diablo-iv-release-date-crunch/
Based on an article that invokes sources from former and current employees.
There is a difference.
I can also go public and do the same. Who is going to know if I’m accurate 100% or not?
I think we can all agree that the Washington Post is not going to put their reputation on the line and risk a really nasty lawsuit by making up sources for an article about the development of a video game?
Good example! 