Blizzard President Mike Ybarra Believes Players Have No Patience, Wants Sensible Monetization

Blizzard President Mike Ybarra has spoken out about the challenges of meeting player expectations in the modern gaming industry. In a recent interview with The Verge, Ybarra said that players “want new stuff every day, every hour” and that this makes it difficult to maintain quality standards while also meeting player demand.

Ybarra said that Blizzard is trying to react to player demands “while holding the Blizzard quality bar high.” However, he also said that this requires a large team of developers, which in turn makes sensible monetization imperative.

“Monetization itself has its own set of challenges,” Ybarra said. “I’m always advising my teams to think about the end user experience. I want players to feel good whenever they spend money with Blizzard, no matter the sum.”

Despite the challenges, Ybarra said that Blizzard is still open to returning to more traditional publishing models. This includes the possibility of releasing new IPs.

As for Blizzard’s existing franchises, Ybarra said that the company is committed to meeting player expectations. He specifically mentioned Diablo 5, saying that the wait for the next game in the series won’t be as long as the wait for Diablo 4.

Ybarra also discussed the impact of the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard. He said that he doesn’t know how the acquisition will affect Blizzard’s output moving forward.

“I haven’t really had a chance to sit down with Phil Spencer [CEO of Microsoft Gaming] and talk about what the next steps are,” Ybarra said. “I’m sure we’ll have those conversations soon, but right now I’m just focused on making sure that we continue to deliver great games to our players.”

Final Thoughts

The gaming industry has changed a lot in recent years. Players are now more demanding than ever before, and developers are struggling to keep up. Blizzard is no exception. The company is facing a number of challenges, including player impatience, the need for sensible monetization, and the impact of the Microsoft acquisition.

Despite these challenges, Blizzard is still committed to delivering great games to its players. The company is open to new ideas, and it is willing to experiment with different publishing models. However, it is also important for Blizzard to maintain its quality standards. The company cannot simply churn out content without regard for quality.

It will be interesting to see how Blizzard navigates the challenges of the modern gaming industry. The company has a long history of success, and there is no reason to believe that it cannot continue to be successful in the years to come.

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