Watcher to Field Softballs on June 6th.

After the recent announcement last Friday that we will not be seeing flying this expansion and possibly ever again in current content lead content designer Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas, is going to have a live Q & A on June 6th at 2:30 CEST.  One where he will most likely avoid any confrontation, avoid answering any of the burning questions, and try to make himself look like a good guy by fielding easy softball questions only that he knows will be met with only positivity.

This is an attempt at covering their butts based on the fact they screwed up royalty with the content, timing and placement of this previous release of information on Friday and the community has called them out for not only what it seems to majority disagree with in the removal of flight moving forward but also the timing and place of such a huge announcement.

By Watcher releasing the interview on an unknown to most website, late on a Friday before a three day holiday weekend in the US, where blizzard is based, and that interview dropping a bombshell that directly contradicts his very own words on twitter early that we would be getting flight in the first major patch of warlords lead to a lot of people being upset, and rightfully so.

But do not mistake the timing or placement of that interview on Friday as an error on blizzards part or watchers part.  This was an extremely well planned out move.  They wanted to drop the bombshell on another site, not their own, so that site could be the victim of the venomous feedback from people that were reacting to their initial knee jerk reactions instead of their own, and usually with some very spicy words I usually tend to try to keep away from using here.

They also decided to make such an announcement near the end of their work day so they had a reasonable explanation as to why they did not address the issue right away.  Not saying I agree with it but it was a calculated move.  They did not want to address the issue. To a player that might seem rude and disrespectful to drop such information and then not be around for any follow up, and that is part of the reason for the venom some people are throwing at watcher no doubt.  But there is a solid business reason, agree with it or not, why they made the announcement when they did.

Which brings to the next part, the three day weekend worked as the prefect frame for them to do this and not need to respond to anyone for three full days.  To avoid the issue completely for three full days.  To let people cool down so those knee jerk reactions had time to settle down with hopes that the three day period might lower the amount of F words being flung at them.  It also allowed them to read a full three days of input so they could come back and release a formulated response.  Formulated... not honest, please recognize those are two totally different things.  And that is another issue people had, they are a little tired of being lied to and many, even some previous blizzard can do no wrong supporters, are starting to lose trust in them.

And this is what the Q & A will be.  Watcher answering well planned out questions with already predetermined answers.  It will be a series of softball questions that will not press the issues that are on the players minds right now.  I am sure none of us will come away from the June 6th interview feeling better because that is not what it is for.  It is to make it seem like the hot button issue for many, flying, is a non issue.

It is another well planned out event.  Just like releasing a bomb shell announcement on a no name web site at the end of the work day before a three day weekend was.

So my question is this, being we know that Watcher will not answer any questions he is not comfortable answering and already have a planned answer for, what would you really want to see him answer?

Here are some I would like to see answered, honestly, if he is even possible of such an action.

1) How do you feel having lied to the entire player based about flying when you previously told them that flying would be reintroduced with the first major content patch?

2) Do the stock holders know that you routinely lie to your customers in an attempt to keep them playing?

3) Trust is hard to earn and once lost even harder to get back, or impossible, so do you feel like breaking the trust of the players as you did recently was worth it?

4) Why should I, as a player, ever believe anything you ever say again?

5) Give one good example to support your "opinion" that no flying is more immersive for you hold more truth than flying is to someone that finds it more immersive?

6) Why not add more things like the attacking birds over halfhill (before you removed them) to add more interaction and danger to flying instead of removing it?

7) Do you honestly think removing content and features (flying, reforging, valor, justice, old raids, etc) instead of adding new content and features to the game is really good for the game?

Those are just a few of mine, I do have more but have to leave some for you, what questions would you like to see him answer instead of the predetermined softball questions he will most likely be answering?