Rob Pardo Shows Support for Jay Wilson
Posted 19 January 2013 by Rushster
When the news that Jay Wilson would be leaving Diablo 3 and moving onto pastures new at Blizzard, some of the community expressed their joy a Jay’s departure from the position. Rob Pardo had been following the community feedback closely and was saddened by some of the comments which has prompted him to come to the defence of Jay.
Rob goes as far as stating the buck should stop with him and he was “ultimately responsible” for the game that shipped.
I am very proud of the Diablo franchise and what the team was able to accomplish with Diablo III. As a gamer I have enjoyed the game and played for many, many nights with friends and family. I’m not, however, going to use that as an excuse. The Diablo community deserves an even better game from Blizzard and we are committed to improving it. We have a talented team in place and have no intention of stopping work on Diablo III until it is the best game in the franchise.
I’m the only person in this thread who has actually worked with Jay. I hired Jay to head up the Diablo project and had the pleasure of getting to work with him, both in building the team and designing the game. He has great design instincts and has added so much to the franchise with his feel for visceral combat, boss battles, and an unparalleled knack for making it fun to smash bad guys. I’ve worked with many, many designers at Blizzard and Jay is one of the best. He has a great career at Blizzard ahead of him and I guarantee that you will enjoy Jay’s game designs in future Blizzard games.
If you love Diablo as much as we do, then please continue to let us know how you feel we can improve the game. If you still feel the need to dish out blame, then I would prefer you direct it at me. I was the executive producer on the project; I hired Jay and I gave him advice and direction throughout the development process. I was ultimately responsible for the game we released and take full responsibility for the quality of the result.
Well if he wants the blame then I have plenty left to give to him. May 15th is the day the Diablo franchise died. The latest PR with the game shows just how poorly the situation surrounding it is. And I had a huge lol at “let us know how we can improve the game” – people have been in thousands of threads since launch and you just now decide to show up. Not to mention tons of those threads were locked if they didn’t agree with “design philosophy.”
The trainwreck continues and it looks like we aren’t running out of track anytime soon.
@blujays
..and then, you have people like you.
Referring to the game as a train wreck .. and the Diablo franchise died on May 15th .. wtf? How so?
The game is f**ken brilliant, the bickering about the game is now at ridiculous levels, and completely unjust. It’s just whining with little depth. How many other games get regular patches like we have got so far?
The game just keeps getting better, and will continue to do so (not solely because of whining) but because they want to improve upon what we already have.
Let me add to that, fans/players constructively suggesting ideas is great for both the game and the community. Bitching about Jay or referring to the game as broken is not.
Jay Wilson, a guy who helps oversee a project is seen as the face and then kicked in the balls on a daily basis by you jackasses. He didn’t remove attribute points, he didn’t make RNG the way it is, he didn’t (insert some other stupid complaint).
An example of constant criticism.. The decision to remove the skill tree as it was in Diablo 2 is easily the best decision the whole team could have made. It opens the doors for more casuals and therefore more sales, which was a brilliant move.
If they left the same “broken” skill tree from Diablo 2 .. some people would get to level 42, and go wow, my character sucks I can’t even use him and stop playing. Hardcores would relish this idea, but let’s face it, it isn’t practical in 2012/2013. Diablo 3 would have no sales and Diablo 4 wouldn’t be a possibility. As it stands, Diablo 3 was a huge financial success that Diablo 4 and expansion(s) for D3 are a given.
I have never put so many hours in a videogame over such a short period in my life .. and I’m scared to think of how much more will be put in in the months/years to come.
“I have never put so many hours in a videogame over such a short period in my life .. and I’m scared to think of how much more will be put in in the months/years to come.
”
You must be young… :p
There were actually a few games out there where I put more hours in a shorter time into the game than D3 apart from it#s predecessors. But granted, they are mostly old-timers: Secret Of The Silver Blades (on Amiga), Civilization (Amiga), Ambermoon (Amiga), Elite (Amiga), Nethack (Dos), Heroes of Might and Magic 2 (Win95), *cough* Pokemon Blue (Gameboy) *cough*, Albion (Win98), FIFA Football Manager 06 (Win2k), X: Beyond The Frontier (maybe on Win98, maybe on 2k … dunno atm), DeusEx (2k), TitanQuest (2k) … … ok, since I’m using XP it’s the first game with such an amount of time spent in such short a period. On the time spent in it, Dwarf Fortress, The Movies, The Guild 2, X3:Reunion, X3:Terran Conflict, Galactic Civilizations 2 and The Sims 3 could easily hold up with the time sunk into D3, but it took a longer period for each of them. And none of the above are even in a league compared to D2.
In my opinion, the only thing which is brilliant in D3, is the engine itself. Artwork and Sound effects are great and far above standard. Graphic effects are a bit too overblown and thus diminished to just being good. The rest of the game is plain mediocre and soulless. But that’s just my opinion.
Albion, the RPG on an alien planet with Tom Driscoll etc? Man I love that game. Also it’s actually a DOS game, having been released a little before Win95.
I’m “old” and agree with him. Because I played Diablo 2 so much I realise there are also tons of flows which are either fixed or improved in D3. Is it perfect? No but its much better imo.
amen brother !
you are so right !
For me there is nothing broken and the game feels just fine.(maybe a few tweaks here and there)
If they scrap pvp now the whole raging idiots are gone and all you have left is a great D3 community.Those pvp fagots ruin it all !!!!!!!
You’re so wrong. Diablo 3 is a shame of a game. That’s what it is. And being a best-seller doesn’t mean it’s a brilliant game as you put it. Go on, fool yourself. D III will never have the depth or level of addiction D II had. End of.
> You’re so wrong. Diablo 3 is a shame of a game. That’s what it is.
The ignorance in the comments section always astounds me. How is it so hard to understand that different people have different opinions. No, your opinion is not the one and only truth. Some people enjoy Diablo, some don’t, big ****ing deal.
If you would have posted your comment to somedude I would have understood it and agreed. As it is now, I’m a bit dumbstruck and can just say that I’m in total agreement with indy’s opinion here.
Congrats that it is brilliant to you. For the very vocal MAJORITY it is not a good game int he slightest and will always be a massive stain on the franchise. How many games get tons of patches? Lots and much quicker too. PoE for example had a fully functional arena PvP months before Diablo 3, along with having better crafting, better items, and a better skill system, and more randomization in its environment.
Not to mention the Diablo 3 patches are simply playing catch up to Diablo 2, pretty much every feature they’ve added post-launch should have been there day one. For example PvP, DIABLO ONE had that day one at launch.
“Whining with little depth.” Actually we are whining about how the game has no depth. It has about as much depth as gauntlet series. And possibly a worse UI.
And honestly, the game was broken on May 15th and after 8 months of patching is only slightly better. What game on earth hides the items you need to beat act 2 hidden in acts 3/4. How does that make sense to any logical person? And that’s just one example.
As for the expansions? Oh you mean all the features that were cut from the original game to sell later? Talisman, mystic, followers had more skills/could equip more, enchanting, nephalem cube, the cauldron. Yep can’t wait for those “new” features to be announced for the expansion. Oh and the PvP fiasco, I would bet money on the fact they will suddenly “fix” the arena PvP right before the expansion to try and draw back more players. Because that’s the Blizzard of today, Greedy anti-consumers.
It’s your opinion so bravo that you enjoy the game and the direction the series took. But that’s the thing about opinions…they can be different. For me and MANY others this game ruined the franchise for good and nothing short of a complete overhaul would bring us back. Ask yourself what other “successful” games have had such incredibly negative PR and have needed the game director, president of the company, and now the creative director of blizzard to come do damage control. Not many.
Blizz got the sales based off of D2. Knowing what we know now (since they hid everything in the beta after lvl.13/skeleton king to “protect the story” I doubt they would have even got a 1/10th of those sales.
“For the very vocal MAJORITY it is not a good game in the slightest and will always be a massive stain on the franchise.”
This is a perfect example. Just because a few people like to spend their freetime on a forum of a game (that they claim is horrible and not worth their time no-less) and spew non-stop negative commentary; they do not represent a “Majority” of players, nor do their opinions equate to facts. (i.e. this “massive stain”)
Everyone else is either playing D3 or doing something else in life. How is it so hard to understand this; If you don’t like it, MOVE ON. You should ask a psychologist why you have this compulsion to continue to be here even though you claim to hate it. So you don’t agree with Jay’s work, ok, but enough already. Why is that enough to personally hate someone!? It’s a game!
Life is too short to waste it being so angry and hateful about something so miniscule.
People have moved on, but opinions remain as well as the anger. If diablo3 was ever a good game then it wouldn’t be getting this flood of negative comments. Here’s what wont ever change and will keep d3 absolute ****- cain will always die to a butterfly, the bad guys will always tell us their plans, the gameplay will always have that linear pathing style, the voice actors and storytelling methods will stay the same. The atmosphere will still be a colorful pastel cartoon. Everything aside from the gameplay will stay the same and it’s already done the damage, always online requirement, lag. The list goes on, there is no pulling this game from the ashes. You can go ahead an tell everyone how you enjoy those things, but it’s supposed to be a sequel in the diablo franchise.
lol, bad PR? Other than the bad server situation on the launch day and Jay’s departure in recent days, I haven’t heard any real big bad news about this game without going into niche forums like this one. A game, which has garnered mostly positive reviews from the press. Sure, it may lay low 8 months after release and not be at the top of the news lists but that’s hardly a flaw, is it?
Which leaves a whiny group of people that keep complaining no matter what happens on forums and fan sites – hardly PR.
Don’t like the game, fine, but don’t make it out to be such a complete disaster, which it totally is not. It’s a great game that had design changes shocking to some people, and that will always be a case with major franchises introducing changes.
For all your whining, I haven’t seen you make a single suggestion, just like the majority of the complainers.
How do you even know that the stuff that got cut out was any good? I guess if they gave you the so-desired mystic and stuck the Staff of Herding recipe with her, you’d be praising the fact (roll-eye).
I find plenty of stuff bad about the game, but taking a broad view, it is a fun game that keeps growing and I sure as hell will support it with many other people.
Justin Bieber garners mostly positive reviews from the press. Your argument is invalid.
Is this Jay?
His ownership of the situation is appropriate.
Despite being presented to the public as “blizzard old-school”, he wasn’t even hired until after Diablo and Starcraft had shipped, and had a minimal role in the early development of WoW. And, of course, like everyone else in Irvine, he was hundreds of miles away and had almost nothing to do with any design or implementation aspect of D2/LoD.
D3 is a massive monument to the yes-man culture that modern Blizzard has become, and no one personifies that better.
Why don’t we blame people like you, bluejays, for continuosly filling forums with whining and claims of “wisdom” about the game. This new thinking from gamers annoys me. You think you are so “entitled” to everything. Obviously Diablo 3 isn’t good enough for the “all wise” you, so move on. Find something else. Why is there such a need from you to ramble on and spew constant negativity.
I, for one, have been around long enough to realize that with most games, you don’t get this type of drive for improvements. But people don’t get that anymore. Oh well. I love this game, even though it is different (Oh no!
) from D1, D2, and D2 LOD!
Kudos to Rob for standing up for Jay. Diablo is just a game. People that worked on the game, regardless of personal opinion of game philosophy, are still people; and deserve respect for their efforts.
Yep “f that loser” – they had tons of respect for others. “Oh those legendaries are just placeholders” – lying to the fans right before release. The pony level a direct slap in the face to those who questioned the art style/wanted a cow level. The “we know what’s fun” attitude and constantly dismissing fans. Yep they sure respected us lol Sorry I have higher expectations for my $ as a consumer.
So go spend your money elsewhere. That’s kinda the point of being a consumer. Making drama about minor things that don’t go your way (yeah. video games are minor) solves nothing, except making you look… silly is a good word. Yes. You are a silly person.
You’re right: Video games, in general, are a minor subject. Diablo on the other hand is a part of what made me who i am today and is thus as far from a minor subject as it can be. Even if it would have been for free, the released D3 still felt like a knive cutting right into my soul. And souls take time to heal.
So don’t take what’s minor to you and assume it’s the same for everyone around (and they’re silly if they don’t see it the same), please.
“Diablo on the other hand is a part of what made me who i am today”
That….that is really sad.
Please get out more.
May it be sad as it is. Although at that time I was working and had a fulfilling social life (P&P-RPG-group, playing in a band, working out in the gym, frequent visits of our local metal clubs drinking hole, frequent visits of discos and/or concerts, politically active, simply hanging around with my friends, …). But I have to admit that I cannot recommend having only 3 to 4 hours of sleep the night over long periods of time…
@silverfang I’m sorry- but that comment is so pathetic that you should SERIOUSLY consider psychological help. Also, if that statement is true- than you are so lifeless that you technically DON’T have a soul and therefore there is nothing to heal.
How can someone who says something so irrational be a person who can even remotely think their opinion is sound enough to be listened to on any serious level?
ok? so D2 was my favourite game and I love D3, I think it’s a great game and can’t wait to see what else it brings. No hurt soul here, I guess I lucked out???
@ Facepalming: So what are you saying? That I should lie about what was to gain more street cred? From my point of view doing so would discredit any opinion far more. I prefere keeping true to myself – in the good as the bad.
Also you sound as if people are rational beings. And if you really believe that, than I have to tell you: That’s as far away from the truth as you can get. People are only born with the possibility of gaining rationality. To reach thet you have to know yourself; the parts of your past that formed out the personality that you have. Be it from an action of another, forcing a reaction in oneself that builds out and/or roots a certain viewpoint to become a driving force for actions and reactions later in life. Only then you get to the point of choosing how to react and what you want yourself to be. To know thyself needs reflection upon oneself. And as sad at it may sound: I just hadn’t learned the toolset of reflection at the time D2 came out, as no one cared to teach me how. (As I know now, my mother still doesn’t know how to reflect, neither upon herself or the doings and workings around here.) Learning it came later. And yes, D2 played a big part there, too.
Again the question of what should I do: Should I deny myself by lying about my past just to sell myself to the eyes of another to gain his respect? That’s not really my style…
Overstepped a thought:
“Be it from an action of another, forcing a reaction in oneself that builds out and/or roots a certain viewpoint to become a driving force for actions and reactions later in life” … , or be it a consequence of one his own decisions.
Know what else is silly? Being scammed and taking it with a smile. This product was a huge failure for myself and many others. Sorry we feel like letting our displeasure be known so Blizz & other companies know not to let greed get in the way of gameplay. And for me this isn’t just a video game, it was my favorite franchise and I was passionate about it. And now the current team at Blizz killed it and I won’t let them forget it.
Then send them an email instead of bitching about it here?
Yes, yes, let’s all spread hate!!! :-/
Comments like these makes wonde about the futur of humanity…
Oh, and personally, Blizz make D3 a TRUE videogame, fun to the limit, very different from that masochist thing that “hardcore” nostalgic whiners seems to love in D2 for some aspect one cannot fathom…
Blizzard employees are banned from reading sites like this. I’m sure some do, but most don’t.
You aren’t doing anything to “remind them” of anything here. You’re just feeding off of others who waste energy being mad and miserable over a game.
That’s not the case Darkmere. They were forbidden from mentioning or acknowledging the site publicly.
I agree with you, Blue, these kids are so selfish and dumb, this is ridiculous.
Well, I guess my vote of we don’t know crap since we all don’t work for Blizz stands.
Nope, we don’t. Anything is possible at Blizzard, apparently.
Even a plot twist: Jay Wilson no longer on D3 team. Moved to D3 expansion team!
Hey Rob, where’s Blizzard All Stars?
Very noble of Rob Pardo covering for Jay Wilson’s failures. We all make mistakes but Jay Wilson should of never been in charge of directing this franchise forward. I guess the other D3 team members get a free pass or will they be assigned somewhere else too ?
Well, that Rob guy just earned a huge “**** that looser” big time!
I find it hard to believe that someone who pioneered games of a certain caliber of complexity, and one who matured through games in the 90′s with unforgivable mechanics would believe that this game was in anyway a good idea with its direction. He enjoyed it night after night? The constant cut scenes forced down his throat didn’t get old? The ridiculous watering down and garbage itemization (something that is the core of an RTS)was acceptable? The ****ing piece of **** of a story felt okay to him? Rob… shut the **** up.
Did you ever played Wow lately? The 90′s are far behind for Blizz or even Pardo, it seems.
I know, it’s sad. Across the board the company is making games that the new and softer generation can. I guess life is punishing enough though when you only get the 8GB iPhone 4, or the 2011 tablet for Christmas, so Blizzard does its best to ensure that nothing in their games is punishing. But hey, talent trees and stat allocation is an “illusion” of choice. Though I do recall a trillion builds with their new system, nevermind the fact that every class only had 1-2 viable on release and maybe 5 now. I guess Jays slide should have said “1,000,000,000,000 builds +/- 999,999,999,996 builds” for his confidence interval. Wait, I’m sorry, I mean Rob should have said that.
I know Blizzard likes to throw around flashy buzzwords (illusion, awesome etc.) that simply minded folk regurgitate verbatim in every argument that make while stalwartly defending Blizzard’s stance, but it turns out I only saw one illusion while anticipating Diablo 3. That illusion was the death fatality on the original siege breaker that wasn’t even in the game and was simply scripted to drive the hype machine.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
I actually really prefer the time that Blizzard didn’t comment on their games at all. Everything they’ve given us regarding the development of their games the last couple of years, CM’s and devs included, has been completely redundant, obnoxious PR drivel. I’d rather had just seen Jay Wilson telling the D3 community to go **** itself, since that must be what he really thinks right now. “I will miss the community”, LMAO.
I feel bad for all of the hate that Jay Wilson has received because of Diablo 3. If I recall correctly, it reminds me of what happened to Bill Roper back in the day.
No one deserves that kind of treatment.
With that being said, Jay Wilson was the face of the D3 development team. The responsibility of everything in Diablo 3, the good and the bad, are essentially all on him.
I don’t know how many of the bad design decisions were actually his, so I can’t say “good riddance.” But I also can’t lie about having some glimmers of hope for the future of Diablo 3, after reading this news yesterday.
This change in Game Directors may not affect the game at all, or it may change it quite a bit. Only time will tell! Here’s to hoping changes DO happen.
Ditto.
“He has a great career at Blizzard ahead of him and I guarantee that you will enjoy Jay’s game designs in future Blizzard games.”
Oh, sh*t !
or rather 90% of the people who played d3 will not even touch his next project with a 20 foot pole.
You heard it here first. A black kid is 90% unlikely to touch Jay Wilson with his 20-foot pole. Sounds about right.
just like in politics, covering each other asses, really sad
i wonder why this site doesnt go PoE full time
d3 will always be the saddest joke in gaming industry imo
POE is a good game, but please STFU already. This is a Diablo* fansite, and I am a Diablo* fan. I dont want POE here, and frankly, I think the game is overhyped and very mediocre. (Yes, I own a beta account)
lol, typical “go-for-the-underdog” mentality man. The game is in a great position because now all the haters have somewhere to go and something to praise. Just like Torchlight 2.
I agree with you, if PoE is deserving, it’ll get it’s own website, no need to post stuff here.
But Titan Quest was also a great game based around a great world and where has it gone? Too bad, too bad…
You clearly haven’t played E.T.