14 DAY TRIAL // Mike Morhaime, the chief executive officer of video game creator Blizzard, says that his company is aiming to increase the diversity of the characters it is using in its titles in order to reflect the profile of its player base and its expectations.
Starcunning, one of the fans of the studio, has asked it to tackle the issue as part of a wider conversation in the games industry about inclusion and stereotypes.
Morhaime is quoted on the gamer's Tumblr account as saying that "I want to start by saying that we’re grateful to have such a diverse and passionate player base, and we want everyone to feel welcome, safe, and included in our games and communities."
He adds, "We’ve always believed that positive, lasting change comes from examination, discussion, and iteration, and this applies as much to story as to gameplay. There is no reason why inclusivity should come at the expense of an amazing game experience."
Blizzard is really trying to respond to the feedback coming from its community after only recently Rob Pardo, who has since left the company, stated that progressiveness and diversity were not core values for the studio, which was focused more on fun than on socially relevant commentary in its titles.
Heroes of the Storm was also criticized this year by some gamers because its female characters were too sexualized in their design, but it's unclear how much the company is planning to change them.
Blizzard needs to make sure that it aligns its views with those of the players who are buying its titles in order to stay competitive in the long term and make sure that it continues to be seen as one of the most important companies in the industry.
This is especially important for Heroes of the Storm, which is aiming to become successful in the Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre, dominated at the moment by League of Legends from Riot Games and by DOTA 2 from Valve.
Blizzard is at the moment putting the finishing touches on Warlords of Draenor, the expansion for its World of Warcraft MMO that is supposed to be launched before the end of the year in order to expand the universe of the title.
The studio is also currently creating the third installment in the Starcraft 2 series, which is set to focus on the adventures of the Protoss and will introduce new units and mechanics.