Blizzard looks to control the world… and we lose

Blizzard has built a reputation and greatness as a game developer in a way that no other gaming company has ever done. Fashioning unique gameplay through the original Diablo, Warcraft and Starcraft series, there is little wonder as to why gamers listen intently when Blizzard echoes the announcement of a new title. Having control of what may very well be the PC world; few can even match what Blizzard offers. But with Blizzard in full control of the gaming market, they and Vivendi Universal win while we gamers unfortunately say “GG.”

Blizzard has forged a solid gaming community with an astonishing reputation for not only creating fantastic games, but expanding on those games for years to come with their endless patches. While this is great display of loyalty and stoicism to the fans, gamers will eventually end up losing.

The company we all know and love has grown in monumental proportions. In turn, they have effectively eaten up everything in their path, preventing new life from blooming in the vast ocean of video games. In terms of PC games, Call of Duty 4-created by Activision-has only come close in terms of popularity. Other titles do merit mention, although CoD4 tops them all–and now Blizzard has their paws all over CoD, as well.

Activision Blizzard has other holds, as well. In what seemed to be an exciting game, Ghostbusters has already become the first casualty in Blizzard’s wake. A game that was almost ready to be purchased has unfortunately been delayed until 2009 due to publishing (cough money cough) concerns.

The Global market is booming with video games, but gamers in North America should be concerned the most. North America is showing signs of weakness in comparison to other countries, and those of us in the new world may be left last for new Blizzard releases. While we play video games for fun, other countries create a way of life from them.

There is nothing wrong nor is there a solution to the aforementioned problem. We cannot simply say “Stop, Blizzard, you are too powerful”. There is no doubt that Blizzard will continue to create awesome games and put them in new markets, but at what cost? I will continue to drool and cherish the upcoming Blizzard releases, although I will also weep in sadness as I walk past the game isle and see nothing but Blizzard-Activision titles zerging the shelves.