Fallout man asks Blizzard for forgiveness

By Robert Purchese Published 2 July, 2008

For calling Diablo III "conservative".

Fallout 3 production director Ashley Cheng has asked for forgiveness from Blizzard for calling its StarCraft and Diablo updates "conservative".

In a post on his blog, Cheng said he was "disappointed" both games were less ambitious than he had hoped for.

"I must say I am disappointed that Blizzard has stayed on the conservative side in terms of design with their updates to Diablo and Starcraft," said Cheng.

"I have no doubt, however, that they will be incredibly fun, addictive and polished games. Blizzard is the top of the class when it comes to game development - nobody does it better."

Following a bit of Internet furore, Cheng has posted an update on the blog entry. "Dear Blizzard," it reads, "Please forgive me. XOXO, Ash". Poor old Ash.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (40) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • rudedudejude #1 4 years ago

    What a suck up!

  • patchbox360 #2 4 years ago

    wheres itagki, for crying out loud

    bunch of pussies

  • Dezm0nd #3 4 years ago

    First treyarch for slagging off BIA then wimping out, then this dude.

    One love in this industry

  • drunkymonkey #4 4 years ago

    Haha. When you're making a game like Fallout 3, with the amount of criticism that has gotten...you don't criticise other developers updating popular RPGs.

  • thesombrerokid #5 4 years ago

    yeah but his isn't a conservative update

  • DanWhitehead #6 4 years ago

    First treyarch for slagging off BIA then wimping out

    Which isn't what happened. At all.

  • lambtron #7 4 years ago

    In any case, its a fairly mild criticism - you'd have to be pretty sensitive to be insulted by that.

    It's not like the Activision guy who basically insinuated BIA was a second-tier game that wasn't even considered as a potential competitor.

  • Rayn #8 4 years ago

    Freedom of speech ftw.

  • MouzerMalti #9 4 years ago

    Which isn't what happened. At all.

    Exactly Treyarch just said that COD5 is a shooter that should be compared to Gears, etc not to BiA which is a Tactical Shooter. Ubisoft got all sensitive and decided to suck up their arse.

  • Krelle #10 4 years ago

    Fallout3 - TOO FRESH!
    SC2/D3 - TOO OLD!

    I fukken hate sequels. What are they good for? No other industry is hellbent on sequels like the videogame industry. Pussies.

  • Jmog #11 4 years ago

    I seem to remember an industry called "the movie industry"

  • Quint2020 #12 4 years ago

    I'm so glad blizzard kept D3 in the same style as the originals, if it's not broke why fix it?

    First person Fallout can kiss my arse for a start off and i wonder if it will have the shite level scaling this from Oblivion.....? probably.

  • penhalion #13 4 years ago

    Why the frak should some sad blizzard fans have made this guy change his opinion. I think that diablo 3 looks dated and that was indeed my first post on the subject (in the original thread). Clearly a lot of diablo fans and this guy all agree (the petition about the art style and general look and feel of the game). In the face of much agreement, it takes a very weak man to still change his opinion.

  • Krelle #14 4 years ago

    Jmog; havnt researched this but, i dont think the movie industry would come close. Despite the Scary Movies, starwars and batmans.

    Please prove me wrong. Would make [person] waste time trying to prove me wrong. the lulz.

  • Laika #15 4 years ago

    That petition is such nit-picking bullshit. If you don't like the art style, don't fucking buy the game.

  • Schiraman #16 4 years ago

    He has got a point, I'm sure Diablo 3 will be fun - but it does look very conservative so far. How can it take so long to produce something that looks almost identical to Diablo 2?

    And frankly Starcraft 2 looks even more dated - the Diablo series can get away with stagnating because its a pretty narrow sub-genre and nothing has ever really convincingly challenged Diablo 2 as master of it - but compared to various modern RTS games (like Company of Heroes or Dawn of War) and even some old ones (like Total Annihilation), Starcraft is now a bit of a dinosaur, and needs a real overhaul - not just a handful of new units and an updated engine.

  • rowsdower #17 4 years ago

    to be honest, i think he's right on the money. blizzard very much took the safe route with sc2 and d3. of course there are millions who won't be complaining (d3 has me so excited i can barely blink) but it IS fair to say that blizzard went conservative on this one.

  • Azazel #18 4 years ago

    So what? Constructive criticism isn't allowed now?

    Oh sorry! I forgot we're on the internet...

    Clearly he is a BliZZARD HAT3RS!!!1

    Starcraft is now a bit of a dinosaur, and needs a real overhaul - not just a handful of new units and an updated engine.

    Yeah, but look who the primary target audience is. Hardcore starcraft fans want more of the same. Thus there is Starcraft 2.

  • shamblemonkee #19 4 years ago

    Blizzard have been about conservative design evolution coupled with the most polished gameplay and art pretty much form day one.

    Why the screaming now?

  • Bitkari #20 4 years ago


    Blizzard don't want to alienate their existing fanbase, so they're keeping the gameplay changes fairly minor.

    I can see why Mr Cheng is a bit disappointed, but Blizzard are obviously wanting to play it safe, which is fairly understandable. Maybe when Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 are on the shelves, they'll start working on a new property where creating more modern gameplay is a more sensible proposition from their point of view.

    Anyway, it's really up to people like Ashley Cheng to bring us something daring, and new with their reinvention of Fallout - they're going to be largely pitching this at a new audience so they can afford to be adventurous with gameplay decisions!






    Edited by 1 at 02/07/08 @ 14:02

  • kangarootoo #21 4 years ago

    Well first off, he is right.

    Secondly, can nobody see the sarcasm in his request for forgiveness?

  • kangarootoo #22 4 years ago

    @Krelle

    Dude, the film industry has sequels coming out of every pore! Mid-summer, half the releases at the cinea are sequels or franchise related.

  • Krusty #23 4 years ago

    Hehe, I find this amusing.

    Of course Blizzard can afford to take a risk on SC2 and D3, perhaps upsetting fans of the originals! They wipe their arses with their money ffs!

    As to whether they should, not sure. People are more comfortable in what they know; oh no, something new, kill kill kill!!1

  • MaxiSleep #24 4 years ago

    Hmm

    A Fallout TC for Oblivion = the new sense of design originality and adventure in the PC World


    :)

  • anomagnus #25 4 years ago

    krelle

    what the fuck are you talking about man?

    Movies
    Books
    TV

    All sequel dominated

    and as for hating sequels, should capcom have ended street fighter with sf1?

    Maybe no mario after the very first one?

    No Diablo 2?

    No Final Fantasy 7

    Etc, etc

    More 'cool' criticism in my view. i.e criticism without any thought behind it.

  • Azazel #26 4 years ago

    Basically: If ID brought out a graphically updated, sublty tweaked version of Quakeworld every couple of years I would be a happy bunny(hopper) indeed.

    Don't fuck with perfection.

  • kangarootoo #27 4 years ago

    "No consolefying equals conservative? Well in that case keep those conservative games coming!"

    Point. Missed.

  • Kiigan #28 4 years ago

    It's a good week for videogame apologies.

    Hint hint, Limbo of the Lost.

  • Farfarer #29 4 years ago

    [link url=http:// www.destructoid.com/blogs/Solivagant/diablo-3-vs-fallout-3-h ow-to-make-a-proper-sequel-92764.phtml
    ]http://ww w.destructoid.com/blogs/Solivag...[/link]

    I think this spells it out properly.

  • SilasMalkav #30 4 years ago

    He's just upset that he didn't think of making Fallout 3 the way Blizzard is making Diablo 3. Who wouldn't love a 3d isometric Fallout with destructable environments? Basically Bethesda said that isometric is dead, and the worlds biggest and best have said "umm, actually, no, it isn't"

    I don't think Blizzard are being conservative. Being conservative today means making a third peson over the shoulder shooter.

  • Nithron #31 4 years ago

    I don't really see the problem here. Blizzard's games really are pretty damn conservative. I mean, they don't take massive risks, do they? Diablo 3 is still pretty much Diablo 2 but prettier with a streamlined interface. No doubt StarCraft 2 will pretty much be StarCraft 1 but prettier and... etc.

    The thing is that "conservative" isn't an insult. It's just a comment. Like how "Sidescroller" isn't an insult.

  • menage #32 4 years ago

    Well. He had a point, shame he had to take it back. Why anyone would mind such criticsm is beyond me. There's even a petition to make it even more conservative for god sake.

  • Ranger101 #33 4 years ago

    "I fukken hate sequels. What are they good for? No other industry is hellbent on sequels like the videogame industry. Pussies. "




    I do beleive the Porn industry is familiar with Sequel churning..... some titles often going into the +50 level.... so I'm told...

  • Freek #34 4 years ago

    But they are conservative? Deliberately, so as to not piss of the vast loyal fan base.
    That's not slagging off the games, it's merely stating a fact. The fans wanted more of the same and Blizzard delivered exactly what they asked.

  • Bleh #35 4 years ago

    I pity people who change their stand point over night.

  • timberwolf #36 4 years ago

    LESS AMBITIOUS!!!??? ffs 2d to 3d.

  • davisorle #37 4 years ago

    The thing is that his first comment was exact my dissapointment in Blizzard's choice with the way to go with Diablo III. Not only wrong turn but also inspite of being fun it will only last a bit... and eventually get bored of that game fast. Diablo 2 back then way. was the shit. and addicting. Now this is just the remake they did of Prince of Persiia for XBox live ffs. not excusable for me from a company like Bliz. I expected WAY more.

  • LtMerc #38 4 years ago

    I agree, they both are conservative.

    Blizzard has always been pretty conservative, look at WC1 -> WC2, or WC2 -> Starcraft, or D1 -> D2. Blizzard has a high focus on delivering balance and polish rather than revolutionary changes, and that's not a bad thing.

    With D3, the genre hasn't really changed, so the fact that the changes are conservative doesn't matter, and I'm still looking forward to getting it and it'll be great. I'm not so excited about Starcraft 2, though, that might be too conservative. Dawn of War and Company of Heroes have added a lot of cool new stuff to the genre, and I'm not that eager to go back to just a more polished starcraft.

  • stallion185 #39 4 years ago

    Far out... Diablo 3 hasn't even been announced for a week yet and people are already convinced that they know exactly how the game is gonna play.

    Seriously... Some people just need to STFU and wait. Do people really think that Blizzard will let SC2 and D3 be shit? How about we just show a little faith in the world's greatest developer, they know what they are doing.

    Some people need to read news posts a bit more carefully too, this guy was obviously being a bit sarcastic in his apology.

  • craziii #40 4 years ago

    when a developer from another company starts to criticize another, you know you are asking for it. I mean, who the f*ck are you to criticize them? you are just another developer. and the one he is criticizing is blizzard, talk about getting in way over your head.