Zandog posted this in the Operation Flashpoint server. They as you all know got screwed out of their clan servers as well.

"This seems to have begun with a serious look at what World of Warcraft has done to thwart piracy and maintain a consistent network. Delivering high quality content and controlling every aspect of it's intellectual properties, Battlenet is reborn as a beginning stage of that uniformity. I realize there are have been games before WoW to do network play but none that have done it to this degree of total game support and control, also none with so much profitability. Now all Blizzard games will be directly tied into the Battlenet system for purchase, updates and content control, preventing piracy and cheating.

This really began to take notice year before last at the now, PC Gaming Alliance's annual game industry meetings where Blizzard spoke about this concept. New models of gaming were talked about, but none really hit home well like content delivery systems like Steam and network management like Battlenet's new system. You see other developers and publishers following suite with test networks, offering free online gaming content delivery and management from companies like Id software and the Quake Live Network, EA's Battlefield Heroes test bed and Game Campus with a host of free games to name a few. There are a host of networks being tested like this across the net that people don't think about as more than just a free game online or a way to get content to the customer like Steam.

At the PC Gaming Alliance's annual game industry meetings there were closed door discussions on how cutting the middle man out by doing away with packaging and store marketing all together by 2013 would boost this profitability exponentially. It's confirmed that about 40% of the gaming industry has a plan in place to shift to this content delivery and management package. It's estimated that by then, 80% of the gaming industry will be internet content delivery ready and be managed solely by 30%+ of the market. Steam would be a good example who owns about 35% of all games delivered over the internet. I could go on about my point, but I think you guys get it pretty well.


CM not releasing dedicated server files, then Infinity Ward announcing that Modern Warfare 2 would not have dedicated server files, instead being hosted on a developer controlled network, and the rumor mill saying EA will unveil their gaming network with the release of Battlefield 3. Expect this kind of thing to happen and there are three major groups of folks you can thank for this plan in the industry. Piracy, with it's untamed and uncontrollable distribution of stolen game software. Server providers with unregulated, highly saturated hosting and destabilizing user control over developer content. (Dedicated servers) and the middle man with high priced packaging, marketing and shipping to retail that over 40% of the gross profit from game titles is lost to.

So you ask why CM did what they did? I don't know, because if they are doing any of these things, they aren't doing it the right way. But only time will tell and I wouldn't call it the death of PC gaming, I'd call it taking back control of the industry and hobby they provide us. It's scary to think I'm paying for something I can't control, but I guess I do that anyway when I pay my taxes. "

[ESP]. Death says "IWNet is a BattleNet 2 Prototype. The same system, if successful, to be used with Starcraft II, Diablo 3 and all future Activision & Blizzard games. The popularity of this system will further increase with the success of current systems such as Games For Windows Live being implemented in almost all games, together with Valve's Steam system. This move was inevitable as you noticed a huge number of developers losing out in sales and merging with companies and publishers such as EA and Activision to improve their sales.

You now also know why Starcraft 2 initially announced NO LAN SUPPORT and then pushed its release back.

Like Zandog mentioned, it isn't something new. We've seen the signs as far as early 2000's with the implementation of server based authentication. Games like HEROES OF NEWERTH is already using a similar system, although they are client server based, their LAN play will require online verification. The good news is, you might see DRMs go obsolete, protecting your purchase and reducing the cost of original games.

Companies like local distributors will eventually suffer, as they will also go obsolete with this new system. We're lucky that Asia has so many languages that they will likely not remove Asian distributors in hopes to penetrate the market further.

But by removing the middlemen, they gain tremendous profit and the end-users get a chance to get cheaper software, from a whooping RM 290 per game to a possible low of RM 80 per game or less.

This move was first initiated by Blizzard's BattleNet, and you will see similar systems such as THQ's match making system (Implemented in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts) merged with Heroes of Newerth's verification system as a new trend starting next year.

From 2009 to 2013 (2012 supposedly the end of the world) you will probably see a decline in LAN games, LAN cafe's, LAN support for games and also LAN based tournaments. However, this doesnt mean the end of the gaming industry. It just means that the industry will be heading towards a highly supported and combined infrastructure, which in the long run will benefit the end users. Value of games will also increase, piracy will also increase. But unlike before, pirates will be a step behind, simply because they wont what companies like Activision have.

Games will be service oriented rather than retail sales. Your community development ideas of the past will be put to use here.

How will cybercafe's do? Larger cafe's will actually benefit from this. By announcing such a system, CC's dont have to pay for licenses, but rather a 1 time off purchase of the game. Infrastructure wise, Malaysia isnt ready, simply because that's a monopoly.

End users or cc customers will eventually pay for the service to play these games, which will still be highly popular in my opinion. In the end, if online stats worry you as a CC customer, you'll eventually get your own, thus increasing their sales even further while filling your thirst for account independence.

All this, will be the future. I just hope i can still have my Lan parties "

People also read Gamer's Hideout main forum. Redundant. Closed.