Where's GC?

Here is a little misinformation clearing:

1) The developers are still in charge of the game. There aren't actually any suits at Blizzard, and the highest level managers don't micromanage our design decisions. They offer their feedback and provide strategic-level (as in the future of Blizzard) direction, which is exactly what they should be doing. They are also all friends of mine -- Blizzard is a happy place to work. :) Developers at Blizzard are empowered. While you sure as heck need to be able to justify your decisions, you don't get overruled a lot.

2) The WoW team develops as a team. Our team is probably larger than you suspect, but not many people on it post regularly. Many of them do read the forums however. Our design process is remarkably collaborative. None of the decisions made on WoW are mine alone. No decision made on WoW is the decision of one person. Everything about Blizzard is "we."

3) I understand how forums work and how people who post frequently can get beat down. However, I am a crusty veteran of the industry and you're just not going to be able to chase me off. Sorry. I do however have a lot going on besides the forums, and I do travel. So I'm not going to be able to post every single day until I retire. If there are doldrums, just chill and assume I'll be back soon.

Q u o t e:
But GC, are you forced to deal with these forums or do so of your good will?

It is not part of my job description to participate in the forums. However, selfishly, it is a great way to learn what kinds of things the community is discussing. I feel like I owe it to the game to be aware of those conversations. This does not mean the forums design the game, but it helps us to make informed decisions. (It is also not the only source of our information.)

Q u o t e:
No one with even half an idea of how the economy works and how games are designed will even consider believing that. I know they tell you to say that when asked about it. Case in point: SC2 will cost me three times as much as it should.

We are way off topic now, but if you went to Blizzcon (or saw the videos or whatever), you might recall that the SC2 team was specifically asked how to handle the situation (i.e. how to make the campaign as cool as possible and still ship sometime this decade). I believe the decision was unanimous to ship the game as a trilogy. It's what the team wanted to do.

It may be hard to understand because not many companies can operate under such a consensus-driven mentality and still be succesful. But when people feel like their voices are heard, they take a lot of pride in their work, go the extra mile, and tend to stay with the company. It works really well for us.

You'll get your money's worth, though. :)