DiabloFans

Quote from "FingolfinGR" »

was thinking exactly that. The convention hasnt even started yet. And a game is always announced with public watching, not behind locked doors!

I see some people confused about this. Let me clear it up.

There are two separate conventions at Leipzig by the same organization.

First:

GCDC 2007 -- this is a closed door event with keynotes meant for the media and the gaming developers assisting that event. Think of it as a convention for game developers: EA, Turbine, Blizzard, Vivendi, etc. And media such as IGN, Gamasutra, Gamespot, Gamepro, etc. That means no public is allowed here. - August 21-22

GC Game Convention - This is the public opening where each game developer showcases their product to the fans. Fans walk in to listen to a presentation from employees of each company, and fans can play a demo of the game (hands-on). August 23 - 26

If you mean by "over" the livestream ... well, I have been sitting here since 2am EST - 7:17am EST and all I have seen is music videos (-.-)

Either I was given the wrong link or there is no livestream till Thursday, at the public expo.

Quote from "FingolfinGR" »

Exactly. And as long as there arent proof like screenshots we cant, and shouldnt believe anyone. Especially someone that says he is from Blizzard (or was). It makes him 101% liar. Blizzard never spreads rumors in fan sites. He does that on magazines on on their own site



Exactly, but they're still the same kind of prankster. They dont know, they assume. And we dont even know if the "codename" is real either.

Well the prankster was very creative and quick. I mean, 1up.com posted about seeing a Medusa demo listed at the South Korea Invitationals schedule.

This guy who contacted me -- who I am not sure if is NicoV -- contacted me like an hour after I posted the 1up.com news. So he had to come up with the hoax and the three codenames within a short time.

He never chated with me however, nor saw him online. So I was a bit suspiscious.

Quote from "hndW" »

I wouldn't put a link to a keylooger, that's a direct connect to the stream.

->http://www.gamestar.de/multiplayer/gametv/livestream/
check the source code for the stream http.

Confirmed. Sorry about that. Just checked the source code.
Your URL seems accurate.

And yea there doesn't seem to be any livestream. All I have been fed with are music videos.
Blizzard should be talking at the closed doors GC Business Center right now. It is 10:45am in Leipzig.

Quote from "hndW" »

Should be starting in 13 minutes, Is the link correct ?
-> EDITED URL
Right from blizzplanet.com.

Don't click that link. That's not the link I provided.
That thing might be a keylogger as it attempts to download something.

I am on the livestream page for the past couple of hours and the webpage doesn't end on aspx.

The link should be http://www.gamestar.de/multiplayer/gametv/livestream/

And Im not exactly sure what will be livestreamed. diablo-3.net gave me that link.

Quote from name="Shere Khaan" »

Are you like sort of instructed by Blizzard to generate some pre announcement hype, or just messing with Diablo fans heads? I can understand the latter as it can be quite fun.

I have a somewhat regular contact with Karune and Nethaera, both on the Starcraft II and Wow front. They are the Fansite Program contacts for both games. However, they are strict on the info that goes out. And I don't even try asking questions I know I won't get answers to. Well, actually I have tried to get smackdown, so I know what they will or not answer.

With that said, there is no Diablo community manager to my knowledge and Karune and Nethaera don't comment on games that are not part of their community duties.

To make a straight answer to your question, no. Blizzard doesn't contact me to create fan hype. I do that on my own. There has only been one time in the five years I have been in the Fansite Program where Blizzard has asked me something -- that interview with Richard A. Knaak announcing the Diablo: The Sin War trilogy, it was Blizzard who asked me to interview him.

My sources range from people inside, ex-employees, freelancers, ex-freelancers, and people I have known for years who have contacts inside. I posted news that Blizzard would be at the GC Leipzig after I checked up the GC Exhibitor List. I had checked it weeks before, and Blizzard wasn't listed.

To me this event was important because it is one of the biggest events in the world where media from all over the globe come. This is the place where Paul Sams revealed there were 3 titles in the work. Sounded like the best place to say anything about Diablo 3.

Emphasis on first sentence.

I can't say much.

I recommend you to go sleep.

GenCon Indy is over. It ran from August 16-19. Karune and the Starcraft II Team were there.

As for the Leipzig events this is how it goes:

1. The GCDC Business Center is from August 21-22 -- this is a closed doors event for the media and Game Business industry. You will see keynotes and speeches here.

2. Blizzard's turn at the Business Center is tomorrow Wednesday at 10:30am Germany time. That is 6 hours ahead of NY Time East Time Zone. If you are on the East Coast, it is around 4am EST. Probably 1 am PST (California timezone).

3. The public open door event is GC Game Convention Center -- here is where Blizzard offeres presentations and let's fans play both games at the game hall. From August 23-26.

Quote from name="Little Boy" »

Can someone help me make sense of what Medieveldragon just said?
You all seem pretty excited... but i don't see why...

Whats so significan about "World of Sanctuary" and Knaaks book?

That makes me wonder how you were able to find out how to turn on your Monitor and PC. lol j/k.

I took Knaak's dedication in the book as probably a hint. That's open to interpretation, so maybe he didn't. And that matches up with what the tipster said about the game to be announced -- but then again .... I am sometimes considering the tipster is not from inside and that this is all a scam, prank or fake -- whichever you wish to call it. Let's not be naive. It has happened many times in the past before a game announcement. Suddenly you get contacted by people who claims to be from inside or people who says the cousin of the son of his uncle works at Blizzard ... yadda-yadda. That's why I didnt post anything of this back on May.

In short ... world of Sanctuary ... world of Warcraft ...

I don't always roam this forum, but sometimes I do.

I check up the traffic tracker and email quietly often. The forum auto-emailed me to notify an updated in this thread too. =)

Any questions, I guess I will have to answer after BlizzCon. I posted about the codenames and the wow expansion at Blizzplanet, and I had to remove it within two hours because a blogger got banned from the official forums permanently.

Knowing fans they will get so excited they will forget the forum guidelines and post about the news. I really dont want fans getting banned, so I decided to remove the lengthy newspost.

The codename spread around in one of this forum's threads is the one forwarded to me by the tipster. However, three fansites have gotten this leak from the same tipster. That behavior is not common in someone who is from inside cuz that's more chances for him to be caught. Usually prankster has spread it to many fansites. So I am considering the tipster might be a fake.

As for World of Sanctuary, if you notice the forum at Blizzplanet's main page, it is named World of Sanctuary since May. I got this name from Richard A. Knaak's book Diablo: The Sin War (book 2): Scales of the Serpent. The first page is a dedication that reads as follows:

For all the loyal and very patient fans of the world of Sanctuary.

Then of course, the tipster's info about Blizzard North's game.

Excellent work, dear Watson! =)

I am who posted what Conquistador quoted in this thread.

The person who contacted me did so around 6 hours or so, before Blizzard announced Starcraft 2. He read the news I posted at Blizzplanet that 1up.com had reported seeing Medusa Demo at the itinerary of the Blizzard Worldwide Invitationals.

He told me Medusa was the codename of the RTS Department, and that he was certain the game would be Starcraft 2. As you know now, when Starcraft 2 was announced, I wondered if the guy was legit after all.

My first impression when someone contacts me with this type of info is that it is a fake/scam/prank. He could still have just been lucky.

However he gave me three codenames. The Diablo team codename didn't make sense to me because it is not a name you can find in christian/jewish vocabulary for a Diablo game. Diablo, Baal, Mephisto, etc. However, two days ago I was able to figure it out. And it now makes sense. Same as Medusa and Kerrigan's quote have a certain connection.

Medusa -- a Mythologic gorgon whose stare would turn anyone who saw her into stone.

Kerrigan - And my stare alone would reduce you to ashes.

Again --- these are codenames given internally to the teams that are working on a new game. This way, employees of each team do not know what the other teams are working on. They only hear in the hallways discussion of codenames. The NDA do not allow them to talk about the game they are working on in their specific department.

The following departments are:

Team 1: RTS
Team 2: World of Warcraft
Team 3: Blizzard North

There is also the Swingin' Ape Studios team (Console Department) and the new Mobile Department.

As for whether the contact is fake or not, I personally will know for sure once BlizzCon reveals the games. Untll then I prefer not to talk or reveal the codenames given to me. It is not my position to leak that type of info even if it was 100% legit. When the games are announced, I will be open to discuss what the codename meant.

For now, I will give you a clue ... 666

After BlizzCon, I will comment what that clue and the codename have in common.