In a new interview with Kotaku AU, Blizzard CEO Jeff Kaplan says leaked information on a game can be demoralizing for game developers.
“We know leaks happen,” says Kaplan. “The example I used this week a lot with the team was [World of Warcraft‘s] The Burning Crusade. And a lot of the team hasn’t been around that long, or weren’t part of Burning Crusade, but Burning Crusade leaked in an Italian magazine the week before Blizzcon or the week of Blizzcon that we were supposed to announce [the] expansion.”
In addition to Burning Crusade leaking, Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 were leaked as well. Kaplan also says what bothers them the most is having the indormation leak in an incoherrant way where people aren’t getting all the information. Additionally, Kaplan points out that even though a trademark listing got out for the original Overwatch, major details about the game were kept underwraps.
“If you fast-forward to 2019, everybody looks back at Burning Crusade as one of WoW’s strongest moments, their favorite expansions, and nobody remembers that Burning Crusade was leaked at all,” continues Kaplan. “Leaks are very interesting in that they have more of a moral impact on the team than anything else. It’s extremely demoralizing. You feel totally deflated.”
“Our artists are heartbroken: They take such care to make the art look beautiful, and then we get some crappy version of what the art looks like…and then people are like, ‘I don’t know it doesn’t look that good’ and we’re like, no it does, it looks amazing,” Kaplan continues. “It’s just a crappy screenshot that someone took, so it can be demoralizing.”
Overwatch 2 will feature new PvP modes, new heroes, and story missions. As for Diablo 4, it’ll bring back PvP zones, and the Barbarian, Sorceress, and Druid classes were shown off during the game’s presentation.
While there’s no official release dates for Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, we’ll be sure to let you know when they’re announced.
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