BLIZZARD
Your voting for Publisher of The Year should be finalized within the week. I've already
discussed the matter with the players.

ACTIVISION
I take it they were agreeable?

BLIZZARD
They didn't really have a choice.

ACTIVISION
Are they using RealID?

BLIZZARD
Oh yes, most certainly. When I mentioned that they could add their friends and contant them, they were so willing it was almost pathetic.

ACTIVISION
This RealID -- the rioting is intensifying to the point where we may not be able
to contain it.

BLIZZARD
Why contain it? Let it spill over into the forums and blogs, let the trolls
pile up in the corner. In the end, they'll beg us to let them play.

ACTIVISION
I've received reports of troll attacks on forums. There's not enough moderators
to go around, and the players are starting to get desperate.

BLIZZARD
Of course they're desperate. They can smell their ban, and the sound they'll
make rattling their cage will serve as a warning to the rest.

ACTIVISION
Mmm. I hope you're not underestimating the problem. The others may not go as
quietly as you think -- intelligence indicates they're behind the problems in
Battlenet Offtopic.

BLIZZARD
A bunch of old men playing at running the game. But the game left
them behind long ago. RealID is the future.

ACTIVISION
We have other problems.

BLIZZARD
Respawn Entertainment?

ACTIVISION
Formed by our employees after the strike on Infinity Ward. I have
someone in place, though. I'm more concerned about Arena.Net -- they relocated to
Bellevue.

BLIZZARD
Our MMORPG is far in advance of theirs, as is our playerbase.
And their... ethical inflexibility has allowed us to make progress in areas they
refuse to consider.

ACTIVISION
Subscription fees?

BLIZZARD
Among other things -- but I must admit that I have been somewhat disappointed in
the performance of the primary MMO.

ACTIVISION
The secondary MMO should be online soon. It's currently undergoing preparation
and will be operational within six months. My people will continue to report on
its progress. If necessary, the primary will be terminated.

BLIZZARD
We've had to endure much, you and I, but soon there will be money again, a new
age. Aquinas spoke of the mythical MMO on the Hill. Soon that MMO will be a
reality, and we will be crowned its gamemasters. Or better than gamemasters. Gods.