ActiBlizz's take on SC2*

The announcement of Activision's merger with Vivendi Games back in December 2007 raised a lot of questions as to what it meant for the future of StarCraft gamers, especially with StarCraft II still under development. Activision CEO Robert Kotick recently made comments that have given us a bit of what this merger has in store.

An article recently posted at Next Generation took a look at the comments made by Robert Kotick, the CEO of Activision. The article touched on what Kotick had learned thus from from Blizzard and what the future holds from the merger of the two companies. Officially named Activision Blizzard, it seems that the name won't be the only thing that is affected from this merger.

In the article, Kotick mentions about the StarCraft business model for the future , noting in-game advertising and sponsorship as opportunities for the future. This could be a subtle reference to the success that StarCraft has had in South Korea in becoming a professional e-sport. As for in-game advertising, we have seen how well that worked out during the Pringle's MSL, where a logo of the Pringles brand could be found on different maps during the league matches.

The overall context in which the article poses Kotick's comments seem to all be aimed towards maximizing revenue and profit. What this brings to light is the business side of the equation in professional gaming. To further the reaches of professional gaming, sponsorship and advertising are definite points to concentrate on. Sponsorship is behind everything in Korea, the channels, the teams, and even the leagues are all backed behind sponsorships from big companies. As of yet though it does not seem like advertising has been to popular as in-game advertising has not resurfaced since it's appearance in the Pringle's MSL.

How much leverage Activision will have in swaying decisions on the importance of in-game advertising is still unknown. So far it is still up to the league, but StarCraft II could still be coded to allow easier implementation of advertising in various doodads. Although a slight blip on the radar for all StarCraft fans, but hopefully the example of the Pringle's MSL are kept fresh in the minds of Activision Blizzard.

Update:

Blizzard Community Manager Karune Responds:


Links
Next Generation - Source
StarCraft II Forums - Source