http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/10588208794#6
My response to the original poster:
PR-fu…. with desktop software, the concern is always about the impact of piracy when it comes to how it will affect revenues/profits (you know, the bottomline). But that doesn’t make for good sounding PR. So the reasons will naturally gravitate towards other things like the social experience of being able to play online with your friends, or not having to deal with a separate set of characters (offline only and online only ones).
They are just convenient reasons that sound a lot better than “the game requires a persistent online connection to prevent piracy” versus ” the game requires a persistent online connection to enhance your social and online gaming experience”.
The author of that interview tried (diplomatically and rationally) but was unsurprisingly blown off with several unconvincing PR-laden responses. The current curators of the franchise are pretty much drawing a line in the sand though. This comment from Marten’s says quite a lot: “We didn’t make that game. That’s the straight-up answer. We did not make that game, and we’re not going to turn this game into that game.”
I think they’ve reached a point where they are actually willing to break with the past, including shedding some of the past baggage with the customer base of the franchise. Blizzard North had a different design philosophy from the current team that is tasked with moving the franchise forward. That was also a different time where Internet connectivity wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is today (I do realize the quality level differs and with only 3 regional servers, latency remains an issue for many, including those in Australia/NZ and South America for example).
Which is why they are willing to go back on their original decision regarding soul binding and using that mechanic on the best items. Or basically flat out saying that for those without Internet access, that this game may not be for them (even though it is phrased in the context of network access, it’s also basically implying that those who don’t like the direction and decisions they are making, that Diablo III may also not be for them either). So for those who want offline play, there are Xbox and PlayStation versions which offer just that. So yeah, this dead horse is beaten to a pulp.
