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Blizzard VS. Kespa, the Ultimate fight
Posted by Simon "Go0g3n" 2 years ago
As you know Starcraft, as a game, evolves. It happened over the course of the game's 11 year life. The evolution has taken a bit of an unexpected turn, as StarCraft battles evolved into the real world.Blizzard Entertainment, the creator of all this magnificence is currently in a wedge fight with Korean Kespa. Cause? You guessed it, Starcraft II and all the copyright to it, including possible leagues, broadcasts and even player unions. We present to you a recap of all what has been going so far.
As you know, Kespa is running all of the Korean e-sports, hence the name: Korean e-Sports Players Association. The word Players is no stranger here, as it basically controls the activities of Kespa licensed players on television Networks. Kespa is functioning within the two broadcasting networks: OGN and MBC. Both are represented within Kespa ruling body and are in fact a broadcasting platform for all the events. Since Blizzard lost all control over StarCraft, they are now trying to take control and collect royalties from every possible future application of StarCraft II, which includes promotion, players, tournaments, leagues and broadcasts.
The first stone was thrown by Blizzard, by denying the broadcast of their games on ESWC Cheonan, Kespa answered with e-Stars Seoul StarCraft II show-matches broadcast ban, then came China and basically swiped the game altogether, labeling it too violent.
In order to get things moving again, Blizzard is attempting to deal with MBC and OGN directly, avoiding Kespa; that is yet to resolute. Korean government's response on a copyright infringement claim in Blizzard vs. Kespa case was plain simple: as Kespa is the official Korean e-sports coordinator, a ruling body similar to European auto sport FIA, all the decisions must go through them, and just like that we are at a stalemate.
Now, before taking any side, you must know, that Kespa is the one who is responsible for the immense growth of e-sports in Korea in the past couple of years, not only within Blizzard games, but every single other one. Kespa is also taking part in creating similar organizations in Japan and United Kingdom. After all don't forget, both parties are fighting for money and for money only.
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| Very well written news. More of this! |
| Yes, very interesting article, i was actually thinking to make a thread about this.... i guess blizzard just want to exploit SCII to it max. |
| I knew it! All the uniformed idiots blaming KeSpa must feel real stupid right now. Blizzard is like invaders trying to come and steal a piece of the pie, they are 11 years late. KeSpa is doing what ever is in their interests, just like blizzard, so why are people giving kespa so much crap? |
| I blame activision. |
| Simon Pheonix, how is China related into this? Does this have to do with China banning SC 2? Is it that China wants to have their own leagues, broadcasts, etc like korea but Blizzard wants a piece of the pie? |
| Because the way they are handling things right now... baning players liek leta not broadcasting the nada vs yoon thing, blah blah blah, i just want to see scII, dont care whos behind it. |
END this Ultimate fight link SC2 demo pls !!! thax !  |
| Master07, it's pretty simple. Players want only one thing, the game, as soon as possible, and all of what comes with it. In order for Korea to justify SC2 rating 18+ without all the buzz about Blizz and Kespa not willing to share profits, they need a precedent, a big one, China is that precedent. Even though China has no interest in Kespa and is perusing it's own goal of taking the youth off computer screens. |
| I don't like how blizzard is coming to try and take over everything. KeSpa built Esports in Korea and they should remain in power. Blizzard needs to concentrate on building an esports scene in America and stop butting into other peoples' business. Kespa: blizzard, you made a great game, we bought with money, now GTFO! |
| #2 That analogy would make sense if you said KeSPA had stolen the pie. Blizzard made the game, they deserve the royalties. That's how capitalism works. Don't like it? Move to China. |
| #10 Jacob11, true, although more complicated than that. Being said that, China owns US, not the other way around. |
| #11 It wasn't always that way. -_- I didn't vote for more spending than we take in. I'm just saying that Blizzard made the game and KeSPA took it for profit. Being the creator, Blizzard has the right to not let them broadcast it or use it in any way, like it or not. |
| GO BLIZZARD! BLIZZARD FOR NEXT BONJWA. |
| 12# Way too one sided. This problem didn't exist for SC, Blizzard didn't take any action, therefore anything Kespa did was and is considered legal. Blizzard gets compensated for the game, as it's being sold, Main problem here, if i am not mistaken, under Korean law Kespa doesn't need a release to broadcast it, only to buy the game, which is why Beta can be blocked, as it's not on sale. Blizzard, however, wants the whole pie, that's a big stretch. |
| For me Blizzard is wrong , the inventer of Baseball/Football etc.. aint getting royalty's for the game niether does his children/children . Blizzard makes a game but not the competition . There just trying to do it now and that's not fair for the people that did it all before them . Kespa put all effort in the building of E-Sports not Blizzard . Not because you can make a Brick that you can build a house . |
| As usual the end user will pay for this... Wait! thats US!  |
| #10 is rite |
| #10 it doesnt change the fact that blizz acts like di**heads... its pretty much korea (and KESPA in very big part) that brought sc to the lvl it is today. If not them SC could be forgotten already few years ago. Its like they wouldnt drain enough money from WoW addicts... |
| i blame the greedy terran's.. O.o |
| The solution to this is really terrifyingly simple, yet so hard to swallow - SHARE the money, collaborate together and WIN. If Activision-Blizzard had hired half as many cultural liaisons as they did predatory lawyers, some bright minds on either side of the conflict would have been able to understand each other (unlike now, I very much imagine, where cultural differences and business traditions are anathema to both parites) and negotiate a truce. They need each other, because both Blizzard and KeSPA are good at different things. Blizz believing they can run eSports as well as the Korean governing body is ridiculous, whilst it's also not feasibly of KeSPA to not give away a bit more of the pie to Blizzard - as the pie is about to grow a lot bigger and HD. However, sharing sucks - many people strongly feel. Since it's evidently that hard to do, I'm convinced that it would be the best thing to do. GL & HF.... |
| #10 If it weren't for KeSpa, there would never be a pie, moron. Blizzard is trying to take over a developed industry that they had NO part in creating. It's not like the koreans all had free copies of the game, they bought it just like every else. They just made it into something big, and blizzard wants to cash in on that. That's called corruption, not capitalism. |
| I blame players for being so good that an Olympic-like phenomenon is happening and creating this thing that we like to call E-Sports! Fuck Boxer and his pimpest plays for entertaining us! CHEERS TO MONEY MAKERS! What i dont understand is why "K"ESPA si creating organizations on other nations?? i mean .. they are making a monopoly on E-sports gaming scene not only in korea but also taking over the world? |
Now, before taking any side, you must know, that Kespa is the one who is responsible for the immense growth of e-sports in Korea in the past couple of years, not only within Blizzard games, but every single other one. Kespa is also taking part in creating similar organizations in Japan and United Kingdom. KESPA is also responsible for disqualifying Leta, Reach, GoRush, KTF 2v2 Team, RuBy and more for insignificant rule breaking, inflicting heavy losses to the career of innocent, hard working gamers, some at the top of their game. That's just one of their questionable ways of leading e-sports. In recent times their actions have become more questionable and more frequent. KESPA also never had and still has no intentions of growing e-sports internationally, passively and even actively preventing access for a foreign audience by any means. KESPA is a selfish company that has no place in e-sports. I'm happy to see that Blizzard is now actively putting a hold to KESPA's actions. I don't know what's going to happen but I know that it can't get worse than it is now. I'm positive about Blizzard's politics and I hope GOM remains a standing force against KESPA until both parties have to agree, or KESPA will be ruined. GG KESPA, no mercy for you. |
| #22 Perhaps they are just want to build up esports internationally rather than just in korea? Perhaps coz that's the call of most progamers from everywhere? Perhaps esports is yet to really grow elsewhere compared to the size of korea's? Perhaps the other esports at those countries have failed to take esports to that next level? A monopoly is only created when opposition fails. No point being so offended by koreans extending their reach. Most of them are nice people. |
| Blizzard should just 4 pool kespa |
| Hmmm I believe what you are saying but do you have any sources? Because I guarantee you that of you don't cite a source there will be retards here trying to prove you wrong. Like where did you hear about blizzard banning the ESWC matches? I know about the sc2 one because I posted it myself. Anyways glad someone else other than me I'd touching on this issue. |
| kespa made esports what it is today in korea without any help from blizzard and now blizzard shows up 10 years later saying hey i want my money! they should just team up rather then get greedy imo. i don't see why they could want more money then wow is making seriously..dam corporations |
| Really well written Go0g3n! Keep it coming with stuff liek this :) |
| #21 Yeah right! MOST Koreans have pirated copies... Anyway, with no LAN, there is no KeSPA. |
| #24 lol don't get angry .. it was just a question .. im just think about it since its nice that they are doing this but i can't help but think that they are doing it for the money rather than for the community, since e-sports has great potential in making big bucks of money in the near future .. #27 i think after they created WoW, they got the taste of money, and now they just can't get enough of it .. they want to increase their profits by removing LAN on SC2, thus removing kespa, thus improving their pockets.. |
| go kespa Blizzard made a seriously good rts game 10 years ago, which they have failed to do maintenance on at a level that would correspond with the amount of players and new technology. Battle.net still being as crappy as it really is? This lack of will to please the costumers at no cost is a token of their crave for money only. And btw, starcraft II is looking like crap and has no future. |
| It's good with some competition. Look at #23 if you don't believe monopoly is bad for a industry. And to those of you trying to make analogies to other things, stop it because it doesn't work. These things work different in different industries, so each case is judged on itself. Yes, 'e-sports' suggests that it's a sport and in other sports the creator of the game doesn't get rotalties (but then again, the creators of most sports are unknown so...). But as we're talking about a game that's also more to the cultural/art side. And for those, such as movies and music the creators get royalties when their films are shown on TV or music played on radio... |
| In the end its blizzards game so they can do whatever they want with it. but they should focus on creating a scene like the korean outside of korea in america or europe. atleast they should make a mainstream videogame channel thats broadcasted worldwide something similar to what MTV is today. they have the opportunity to do this with wow and sc2. |
| im very optimistic in this competition .. this is like .. AMD ang Intel! <- cant seem to think anything this will force to make Blizzard stop at the road they are heading which is create-games-for-money-and-make-every-player-an-employee into a kick-ass company which it was several years ago .. don't really know about Kespa though .. I hope they will organize E-sports worldwide like they did in Korea .. Hell even extreme sports were recognize in the beijing olympics .. a couple of olympic years, E-sports will be recognized as an olympic sport! |
| If Blizzard should win this fight. i really hope that they have thought ahead and they will have constant mapmakers for SC2 like kespa has done. so we dont get a static mappool. 1 year rotation on Automated ladder. I just fear when it comes to changing out the maps on ladder the relaxed gamers will whine and it wont change anyway :/ |
| Great article. Kespa has every right for SC but Blizzard can do whatever he wants with upcoming SCII. Instead fighing Kespa for their well deserved money they should start doing something similar to that in Europe/America and try to cooperate with Kespa in Asia while Kespa still got its dominance. Blizzard should be thankfull to Kespa and should pay THEM and not the otherway around because without Kespa Starcraft would be so dead years ago in Korea and in Europe/Asia and they can get big $ because of popularity of SC with the upcoming sales of SCII. In this dogfight i favor Kespa sure Kespa did some disq in recent times but rules are rules and they are made to be respected. Sure someone got disq because of keyboard mistake but what can you do. But think of the great things Kespa has done till now in last 10 years. How can you compare that to 3 disqualifiactions when there is like COUNTLESS games played till now. Ok what has blizzard done till now? Patching the game so slow sometimes years late. Failing to make a decent ladder all theese years.Failing to get rid of hackers. Nothing doing at all for the starcraft scene. Just doing stupid things all the way. Even SC fans have done ALOT more than stinking Blizzard. People like Ashur, Masterofchaos, Unk and alot more ppl have done alot more with antihack , LAN latency!!!!!! cant even imagine playing without LAN lat and Iccup and Blizzard a huge corporation with tons of ppl geting PAID TONS OF MONEY cant even do that and some guy Masterofchaos can do it for free? Its obvious Blizzard should stay away from theese stuff and let competent ppl like Kespa do their job |
| They just need to work together, SC2 is vital to the e-sports scene on a global scale, the stakes are much higher then with SC. |
| Both Kespa and Blizzard are fokin lame. Blizzard so much always on a quest for MONEY, and Kespa is pretty much the same, defending themselves and MBC/OGN. I hope someone kills them all. |
| #21 You're seriously retarded if you think Blizzard had NOTHING to do with creating e-sports the way it is today. It's not like they created the game or anything... The fact is, Blizzard made the game, they will get what they want and KeSPA won't be able to do shit about it in the end. People need to learn the meaning of capitalism. |
| Go kespa! UK starleague please o.O |
| This is kinda silly ... hope that Blizzard will win in this battle :P |
| Another good reason to hate kespa... Starcraft is after all blizzard's game, not kespa's. |
| #39 All they did was make a game you dufus. Just because the e-sports scene use your game doesn't mean you created the scene, idiot. Hey, since Tim Berners-Lee created the internet, why don't we all pay him a fee every time we use the internet? Dipshit. And stop talking about capitalism. You clearly have no idea what it is. "Capitalism" is such a broad term and can mean many things to many people that even using it nowadays is moronic. |
| And I don't think Blizzard's to blame either, they are just a development studio. Activision and their CEO are some of the greediest guys in the industry. Like #4, I blame Activision. |
| When sc2 comes out blizzard will have so much money they actually can BUY kespa if they want. I think is fool to defend blizzard or kespa, while we are here playing online with lack of sponsors for our leagues. The true here is, kespa is running sc in Korea for a long time, and they want to keep doing it as long as possible and Blizzard is a money-hunter, making a game with the name of the best RTS ever, taking away everything that makes starcraft great in order to make even more money (because, launch the game in 3 parts, killing Lan support is not enough ofc). For me Kespa stupid decicion making is not enough to flame, while sc2 is not even finished and blizzard is doing terrible with it. When SC2 comes out blizzard will try to run leagues with terrible organization 1 or 2 years, bnet will be terrible as well, so foregin community will try to make private servers with hacks and patches for lan etc, blizzard will hunt all the private servers to force the players to play in a shitty bnet in order to keep making money. In the end, is all about the community and the players So... thanks blizzard for make sc2, thanks Kespa for run e-sports in Korea, but, for both, if you are going to do something, do it well please :( |
| Wow, KeSPA are greedy greedy muthafuckas.. Maybe I'm just biased towards Blizzard, but really, KeSPA trying to 'blackmail' blizz with that +18 law and hurt Blizz's sales is just..stupid |
| But aren't Blizzard in the right to 100 % Control the game, it is afterall there game, that said it dosen't mean i like what they are doing but we can't complain about it!!! |
| I'm going to rebound on the "Pie Analogy" because i like it : I believe Kespa used the raw material that is StarCraft to make a sweet pie ... A pie that blizzard did not want to bother making and that is partly responsible for the good sales and nothoriety of the raw material that i am refering to Now that blizzard is changing the flavor of its raw material they are rethinking their strategy. They actually want to be paid money for the pie that they took no part in creating which is reaaaaly greedy in my opinion. Now ... there is one way that could make this acceptable though. It's that Blizzard decides to take a much bigger role in the creation of those pies. I'm thinking International StarCraft II Pro Scene .... And to make things fair they would ask Kespa to take a role in the organization of this new "Wespa" antity :) I Like this idea. i'm going to sleep well tonight thinking about it... i hope i don't wet myself  |
| I hope Bliizard has to eventually cooperate with Kespa...the company makes me sick. |
| you guys don't know anything. Do you realize that kespa hardly even existed before 2004, when boxer bunker rushed yellow 3-0? They were there, maybe keeping the rankings. MSL and OSL existed at that time already. Starcraft already WAS huge. In fact, this was perhaps starcrafts peak times when it came to it. What kespa DID come up with was the proleague. That is all. They later on gained dominance over MSL and OSL, and they have been helping teams stay afloat if they die or something. In short, kEspa hasnt really done anything, yet they demand everything. kespa hasn't even had a big role in making sc popular, it already was huge, perhaps at its peak in terms of popularity before kespa even did anything except player rankings. The reality of the 'pie' is, that blizzard provided the ingredients, made the pie, and provided the oven for it. What kespa did was come and say 'hey, let me add some icing to that pie', and after that they supposedly own the pie. Now, blizzard has come up with an even BIGGER pie, much more massive etc, and blizzard didnt let kespa decorate this one, they want to do it alone. kespa gets all mad about this, and makes things shit for blizzard. Think again, kespa has ONLY affected SC's popularity in the last few years maybe. Do you still think blizzard should cooperate? do you still think kespa is right? kespa is not some huge sc thing that has been there since the beginning, making sc popular. its just a money whore without any reason. Blizzard makes the games, so they can do whatever they want. kEspa is the fat kid that gorges on the pie even though he hasnt done anything in making it, and gets upset when blizzard makes a new pie and doesnt share it with him. Or rather, doesnt give the whole pie to kespa. |
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