Titan Top Ten: Predictions You Can Take To The Bank!

We take a shot at calling what might be coming out of Irvine in a few short years

We here at Titan Everything take great pride in having journalistic integrity. We want to make sure that our facts are checked, and that we provide accurate, well-sourced news and information for fans of Blizzard’s upcoming MMO.

But, none of that is even remotely possible at this point. So, let’s dive into some good old fashioned speculation — powered by nothing but egos and fanboy dreams!

Below is a list of my top 10 predictions for what Titan will — or won’t — be. Some of these might be right. Most of them are almost definitely wrong. And a few of them are sure to cause a bit of a stir.

Take a look… see if you agree or disagree with them, and let me know. Better yet, let us know your own predictions in our forums or in the comments below!

1. Titan will not be the spiritual successor to World of Warcraft. I do not believe that players of World of Warcraft will automatically be fans and players of Titan. Sure, Blizzard has a reputation for quality and fun so players will come, but for gamers that are fans of WoW’s gameplay, they won’t find the next iteration of it here.
2. Titan will be a different genre than you think. Maybe even a new genre. It might even be genre-less. Don’t expect an MMORPG. Do not look for an MMOFPS. Rather, a mashup of all of those and none of those. Think “games-within-games.” Likely, a game world where you’ll be able to log in and play different things, in different genres, with your character being the common denominator between them all.
3. Titan will be casual. With the mainstream success of online gaming, Blizzard will look to tap into the social and casual gamer base, which is an order of magnitude larger than the current online “core” gamer base. One quote I’ve gotten from someone in the know said about Titan: “If you want to play the entire game as a chef, then that’s what you can do.”
4. Titan will be hardcore. Despite what I mention above, Blizzard will also cater to their core base. They’ll do this through the “game-within-the-game” construct that will proivde pockets of high challenge and required dedication for these players. However, it will not be “featured” as the pinnacle of gameplay in the way that raiding is in World of Warcraft today. It will take the experience of online cooperative and competitive gameplay to a new level.
5. Titan won’t be Halo. Despite the conspiracy theory my esteemed colleague has constructed, I just don’t see Blizzard as a studio that takes on someone else’s IP, even one as epic as Halo. This thought also goes back to the idea that they want to keep it mainstream accessible. Halo is legendary in gamer circles, but not a wide-reaching enough property to peg mainstream familiarity.
6. Titan will be single-server. Well, the infrastructure may be more than one physical server, but to the players, it’s all going to appear as one big world. You can log in and play with anyone at any time, anywhere. Blizzard has already taken steps with the tech behind WoW to test this to some extent, so you can be sure Titan will be designed with it in mind from the ground up.
7. Titan will be “multi-channel.” What do I mean by this, exactly? Well, it means that Titan will offer entry points from any device at any time. This won’t just be access to chat or the auction house… you’ll be able to log in from your iPad and get a part of the real game experience. Using World of Warcraft as an example, we might see an iPad version of pet battles, which ties directly to your game account. You can’t play WoW from the iPad, but you’ll be able to fully participate in pet battles. Keeping you connected, no matter who you are or what device you use, will be a priority.
8. Titan won’t have a subscription. This might sound like a no-brainer at this point, given the state of the industry where the recent pattern for subscription games has been 1) Release, 2) Bleed, 3) Convert, but I also don’t necessarily think it’s going to be be micro-transaction based. It’s going to be Free-2-Play The Blizzard Way©! See #9 for explanation.
9. Titan will have a real-money economy. Many of the technologies Blizzard has been working on for their other games are tests for Titan. The one at the top of this list is the real money auction house present in Diablo III. Yes, there were problems with the launch of it, however what it represents is something much larger. That’s why Blizzard preferred to work out the kinks and learn about the system before introducing version 2.0 in Titan. Except this time around, the entire in-game economy itself will function around real-money. It will be connected to the game in nearly every way, and will be the largest source of revenue for Blizzard.
10. Titan will be released in 2015. What’s my basis for this? I feel strongly that Titan will be announced in 2013, probably at Blizzcon. But I don’t believe Blizzard will pull the typical 3-year pre-launch MMO hype/marketing cycle. That seems to have backfired in several recent instances, and I think going forward it will be more important to get the product to market and in the hands of consumers than to spin it up for years on end. Not doing so almost guarantees some form of backlash if the game doesn’t surpass everyone’s expectations. Even if you’re Blizzard.

Well there you have it! What are you waiting for, let the tinfoil hat parade commence!

Read More & Comment

15 Comments

• 
  Sulaco July 25, 2012 at 7:15 pm

  Hey! I like my “conspiracy theory” hahaha!

  Excellent predictions Lethality! I think a lot of these will come to pass

  Reply
• 
  MrFester July 25, 2012 at 7:27 pm

  I am thinking or leaning towards something like a StarCraft MMO related.

  Reply
• 
  Sulaco July 25, 2012 at 7:37 pm

  Hey Mr. Fester! Thanks for the comment! The only problem is Blizzard has already said Titan will be a “brand new IP”, so it won’t be Warcraft, Diablo, or StarCraft related.

  Source: http://www.titaneverything.com/2012/06/22/blizzard-confirms-new-mmo-will-be-a-brand-new-franchise/

  At this point – it’s no holds barred on speculation since Blizz is remainly unusually tight lipped on the project

  Reply
• 
  pat August 16, 2012 at 9:01 pm

  i just wonder if y’all had made the connection between the game “TITAN” and the new super computer NVIDIA built called “Titan” http://blogs.nvidia.com/2012/05/gtc-session-on-titan-supercomputer-showcases-science-on-gpus/

  anyway, i’m pretty sure the game will be offered on the NVIDIA GRID (cloud computing) infrastructure.
  thoughts?

  Reply
  • 
    Sulaco August 22, 2012 at 5:32 pm

    OH! I have not heard of this! Thanks for the link…I will check it out! I do love a good conspiracy theory

    Reply
• 
  Gomaru August 24, 2012 at 7:15 pm

  Based on your list it sounds like you think this going to be Blizzards version of Second Life. Which is something I have been leaning towards myself based on information that has been given.

  Reply
• 
  Kelly Okidd August 30, 2012 at 8:18 pm

  Could project titan be the rumored Harry Potter MMORPG?

  Reply
• 
  Nate August 31, 2012 at 1:13 am

  If you reorder the letters in the word “Titan” you get the word “taint.” could this be a clue?

  Reply
• 
  Furby October 1, 2012 at 8:00 pm

  I just hope it will be game that I will finally be addicted on. I would be very disappointed if it would be a failure.

  Reply
• 
  ob99999 October 10, 2012 at 11:03 pm

  nice blog, really nice article. Has you say, a game of games, just like WoW for the casuals, one day fishing, next day farming rep, or if u are a hardcore, rading all night.

  Reply
• 
  Playing Titan Right now :) December 18, 2012 at 11:40 pm

  terrible predictions, almost all of them are wrong!

  Reply
  • 
    Sulaco December 18, 2012 at 4:39 pm

    Do tell!

    Reply
• 
  Jellac January 10, 2013 at 3:23 pm

  I totaly agree one can see patterns of blizzard trying out different techniques to optimize games like WoW and D3′s social gameplay. After playing WoW since beta I must say last years has changed a lot, specially in WoW with he cross realm grouping/PvP. The implementation of keeping contact thru apps for mobile devices also seems like they are testing out systems to make titan a game that can be enjoyed thru many different channels- not only by sitting in front of your screen for hours and hours but as a part of daily (even outside) life.
  I actually wouldn’t be surprised if with Titan blizzard will launch some kind of social media channel, ether incorporated within the game or closely linked to it.

  Wich brings me to RMAH, I was very encouraged of your prediction of the totally-RM-economy. Imo it would be the ultimate way to incorporate the game into IRL life. Infact, I wouldn’t mind if there was a way to make enough currency that you could choose how much of your time you like to work in IRL and how much time you want to spend in Titan and still have a chance to survive.
  I understand this is an utopia but if it would work it would make very much sense for blizzard not to use a monthly fee like the do for WoW but rather make the game next to free in order to lure gamers from different other games and genres.

  Reply
  • 
    Sulaco January 10, 2013 at 3:49 pm

    Eutopia is always a possibility

    Reply
  • 
    Lethality January 10, 2013 at 3:54 pm

    Great thoughts… I think Blizzard is really going to break the mold on many fronts. That may initially anger core fans, but as I said I don’t know if that’s their real target. However I also think that they won’t leave them hanging either, so, it should be interesting. Hopefully we get some kind of info in 2013!

    Reply