Blizzard release in 2011 looks unlikely
"Compromise on game quality" is something "we would never do"
Blizzard Entertainment has cast doubt on the likelihood of Diablo III or StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm seeing a 2011 release.
While boss Mike Morhaime claimed that "I'm not saying that it's going to be 2012 - I'm just saying that there isn't a date yet", parent firm Activision Blizzard's outlook for the next financial year did not include a Blizzard game. Its predicted revenue for fiscal 2011 was $3.95 billion, down from $4.45 billion for fiscal 201.
Activision Blizzard CFO Thomas Tippl hinted that the games could yet be some distance off. "In the long run Blizzard is good for one major release a year.. but the quality of the game had to be there. "Compromises on the game quality" was something "we would never do."
Elaborated Morhaime on Diablo III "until we get to beta and we have the community help us test the game we aren't going to lock in a release date."
The publisher's CEO Bobby Kotick claimed that, were there no 2011 game, there would be a "minimum of two Blizzard titles in 2012."
However, Blizzard was expecting growth from a planned release of latest World of Warcraft expansion Catacylsm in China during 2011. It is currently working on censorship issues with the Chinese government in order to expedite this.
Activision-Blizzard is refocusing its effort on its Blizzard and Call of Duty businesses, having today announced around 500 job losses and the closure of its music game division.