I told you so

[GilloD]

I called it:

Hey, Korea, Why You So Down On Starcraft II?

Hey, Korea, Why You So Down On Starcraft II?Starcraft in Korea falls somewhere between a national sport and a religion. So you'd think, then, that Starcraft II would have been a big hit there. Nope!

A great report over on Edge highlights a bitter struggle between Starcraft developers Blizzard and Korean e-sports authorities, which has left many in Korea — which should be the games' top market — feeling disillusioned and disinterested by the game's big-budget sequel.

It's got little to do with the game itself. Rather, it has more to do with Blizzard's almost fanatical insistence of maintaining control over it — from the removal of LAN party functionality to the "quarantine" of online players within their own geographical area to a feud between the developers and KeSPA (the Korean e-Sports Players Association).

"Our position is that we created the competitions. Korea is the home of StarCraft –- it's very big here" a KeSPA spokesman tells Edge. "There are still lots of people playing an old game, but now I think Blizzard wants it to be here without KeSPA."

"Blizzard wants Battle.net to be used in competitions, not LAN. And they want more money."

And it's not just Korean e-sports authorities failing to warm to the game, Edge's report saying that in the month after Starcraft II was released, only 2-3% of Koreans playing in internet cafes were playing it.

Also, you need a credit card to play in a PC 반 (lul. I think I got that right. No, I didn't fuuu. BaNG. What's the -ng? ㅊ? I forget) so none of my kids can play it. Koreans are slow to warm up to new shit. They like old Starcraft. They still play vanilla DotA for christsake.

[Raban]

I think a huge deal is the lack of LAN.

[cool breeze]

Blizzard: "please understand"

[Phoenix Dark]

Blizzard really fucked themselves over here. The game is amazing, and the competitive play in Korea is very good; the GSL tournament which just ended was absolutely amazing.

All that being said I'm baffled at the amount of control Blizzard wants over every aspect of the game. Not allowing LAN play is just dumb. I like Battle.net but the restrictions are equally dumb: can't create clans, can't create a tournament without Blizzard's ok, etc. You'd think Blizzard would want to do everything possible to ensure SC2 becomes dominant in Korea and other places. Making people subscribe just to play online? For an RTS..?

[ManaByte]

Isn't that what the OP says...?

[originalz]

ＰＣ방

[archie4208]

I remember reading a similar thread at GAF.  Wasn't Blizzard basically locked out of making any money from competitive Brood War in South Korea?  I haven't followed the SC2 scene, but it seems like Blizzard wants their fair share of the pie and went a bit overboard with being a control freak.

They still play vanilla DotA for christsake.

Well that makes sense.  League of Legends is a dirty casual game, and Heroes of Newerth is only available in SEA via Garena and is based on an outdated version.  I kind of wonder how DotA 2 will do in the SEA markets.  Is there any sort of Steam penetration in Korea?

Remember when Blizzard was everyones buddy?

"I do."

[OptimoPeach]

SC2 still has quite a ways to go on the grassroots level but it gains momentum with every season of the GSL, and professional Brood War could very well be officially dead once Gretech and Blizzard bitchslap OGN and MBCGame into submission. And is Kespa really being painted as the victim here? Really? http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=168895

[Robo]

SC2 still has quite a ways to go on the grassroots level but it gains momentum with every season of the GSL, and professional Brood War could very well be officially dead once Gretech and Blizzard bitchslap OGN and MBCGame into submission. And is Kespa really being painted as the victim here? Really? http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=168895

21. Blizzard tries to negotiate but KeSPA still bullcrapping about 'please understand e-sports'

 

[Herr Mafflard]

link to the full Edge article

http://www.next-gen.biz/features/the-battle-for-starcraft-ii