Console Diablo "theoretically possible" Comments by Oli Welsh

I have no idea why Blizzard doesn't do more stuff for consoles. Open up a console division or something... I don't know. Yeah, maybe Diablo wouldn't work that well, but why don't they design something that would? Surely they have the money!

Maybe they just like their independency. No license fees to a platform holder just for the privilege to publish on that platform, no control through that platform holder (just read how MS's control is hampering the balancing and enhancing of TF2 in the recent interview with Valve), no subscription fees they need to share or live services they need to consider for their own Battle.net. And making Games like SC2 and D3 PC-exclusive might secure them a bigger audience for their next MMORPG, etc.

Certainly no shortage of reasons not to develop for consoles, as much as some people seem to think they are entitled to ports of everything and anything.

The "I can't afford a pc that will run this" line doesn't hold any substance imo. Blizzard have always made their games work very well with lowend PCs, it's in a part key to their success. There is no doubt in my mind that current day lowend PCs will be able to run this and the PCs of that time (assuming it's some time off) will be able to run this without a sweat.

In short, if you have a pc, you will be able to run this. It's not like a medium specced pc costs a fortune either. If you have enough money to spend on expensive consoles with expensive games, you really shouldn't complain that you can't afford a pc that runs games like this.

@UncleLou

Good points. I wasn't really talking about ports, though. I don't want Starcraft on a console, unless it has been built from the ground up as a console game. The same goes for D3, really.

I still reckon they could make some fantastic console games, licensing fees and control issues aside. A whole lot of money, too... assuming that PC gamers aren't too far up their own arses to stoop to playing a console game. ;-D

I think it simply comes down to the fact that there are some games that just must be played on the PC in order to work.

I honestly couldn't imagine trying to play Diablo 3 on a console... FPS's frustrate me enough already. Still, im happy as long as I get to play it on my PC, I couldn't care less if they ported it to every console in existence after that.

Good points. I wasn't really talking about ports, though

I didn't mean you, Genji, with my comment. :)

"Do we need to put the game on consoles to make enough money?
or
Would we get enough extra money from console releases to justify the extra effort?

The answers are almost certainly an emphatic NO."

I have to disagree, despite your convincing use of the word emphatic ;)

Firstly, there is no such thing as "enough money" in business. If Blizzard (or any company) could make "more money" by releasing a title on a console, that would be reason enough to do it.

As for whether the extra money made is "worth the effort" as you put it... its not like making games is a hobby for them. They don't sit there and say "well the money does sound nice, but I can't really be arsed, and besides Holly Oaks in on in 10 mins".

If they can see a profitable return from putting a game out on console and (crucially) doing so would not impact their PC game business (which in Blizzard;s case is the only reason I can see for them to stay out of the console game business), they will do what is necessary to make that happen.

Proper professional developers do not see things like doing work or hiring new staff as "extra effort". Effort is what they put in every single day.

@Nick_JC1

"But like they said, how do you do point and click spells on a controller, it's just not fluid enough to pull off in the heat of battle"

There are two approaches to that apparent problem. The first, perhaps cynical, response is "It doesn't really matter. What matters is whether it will sell".

The second response is the one that frankly gamers should expect. People continually look at a system on one platform and then say "it won't work on system X because..." and then write something about control interfaces, when in fact designing and building suitable control interfaces is what developers do all the time. If a mouse and keyboard is needed for an existing system to work, but a mouse and keyboard is not available, you redesign the system so it does work with whatever control interface you have available. That is it, its not rocket science. Its just development.

I really don't understand the appeal to this game, to me the graphics and gameplay look crap when compared to next gen games like gears or oblivion, to me it looks like a really archaic old school game with some polish, it most be the atmoshere of the game or something cos i really, really do not get it, really..

or perhaps its the gameplay?

to me the graphics and gameplay look crap when compared to next gen games like gears or oblivion

Diablo 3 is overnext gen. I guess your brain just can't cope with the awesomeness. Makes Oblivion look like last-last-last-last-last-gen Ultima 2.

diablo 3 for my money is the right title to go back into consoles if ever there was one from blizz. Sure it will need some adjustments for the controler but i think if anyone can do a game that feels great on whatever system its on its blizz / acti .
my 1st experence of diablo was on ps1, i bought diablo and a ps1 came home and thought all games were that good on consoles :)
forward to 2008 and i have been a pc gamer for many years and have a high end rig now ( just replaced the 8800gtx with a 4870 ) i spend most of my time on pc and i of course will get D3 on this platform, luckily i will be able to just switch it to my pani widescreen tv and chill on the bed and play it like a console game ( well when i get a wireless keyboard soon i will :) ) but i certainly think everyone should get the chance to play this game on console as well as pc.
guess the problem is blizz's amazingly high standards and the fact they wont put the name of the company to a game thats a less that perfect conversion of the main one with all the utility and features. really hope this is done because no one deserves to miss out on this great game no matter what there platform of choice or ecconomic position.