wwi08 posts

German site OnlineWelten spoke with Blizzard Senior VP Rob Pardo at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational last week. There was a lot of imprecise pondering about what it is that makes Blizzard so successful, but there was one specific tidbit that stood out in the interview.

OnlineWelten referenced some job adverts posted on Blizzard's company website -- adverts for jobs in a team working on a "Next-Gen MMO." Then came the question: is Diablo 3 the Next-Gen MMO? "No, it's obviously not, since it's not an MMO," said Pardo. "We have another development team ... there's still an uknown project."

So, just in case you were wondering, the Next-Gen MMO is still on. But we don't know a damned thing about it. We even once assumed that it was the project codenamed Hydra, but we recently discovered that Hydra was Diablo 3. So ... Galaxy of StarCraft? Sit tight.

[Via Shacknews]

Your daily wrap-up of the hottest stories in PC gaming over the weekend.

	Full Spore Creature Creator delayed a day; demo leaked For a game that is not really a game, Maxis and Electronic Arts' Spore Creature Creator is generating a ton of buzz ahead of its release this coming week. Already the free demo of the game (which has a quarter of the content of the full $9.99 version) has apparently been leaked onto the Internet according to fan site Sporenormous.
	Blizzard to announce new title at Worldwide Invitational? Yet another rumor surrounding a new Blizzard Entertainment title has been unearthed this morning, pointing to a big announcement at the upcoming Blizzard Worldwide Invitational. This latest update, found on Xfire.com, states that users should follow the Invitational's opening ceremony to "discover what new game will be announced."
	Grid 1.1 demo released A GRID 1.1 demo has been released, perfect for those who are curious as to what the new Codemasters racer brings to the genre. The behemoth download includes fixes for issues such as wheels turning properly for players in Spectator mode, support for Xinput wheel and Logitech Rumblepad 2 hardware, a several compatibility tweaks.
	New trailer and screenshots show off more characters in Lego Batman This fall developer Traveller's Tales and publisher Warner Bros. Interactive will be giving us the next Lego themed game and this time it won't be based on anything made by George Lucas. Lego Batman will feature a ton of characters from the DC Comics super hero franchise and today we have some new screenshots and a high-def trailer to show you today.
	New Velvet Assassin screenshots come forth We wish World War II had spies that looked as good as the lead character in Velvet Assassin. Violette Summer is her name and stealth action is her game and the newest screenshots from the PC action title show off more of her and her actions.