The SK Game Ratings Board was originally planning on having a hearing this Dec 21st, but it's been pushed back due to the lack of data and documents provided by Blizzard.

The GRB review process started on December 1st (or possibly the day before), and according the article, after 16 days of reviews and investigations, they had asked Blizzard for additional information.

So, Blizzard Korea was probably contacted this past Friday (Dec 16) for the information and media organizations found out about it today (Monday).

Kim Jong Il died shortly after hearing the news about the Diablo 3 delay. He had been experiencing significant stress over the past several weeks, due to the multiple release delays, causing great mental and physical strain and finally accumulating into a fatal heart attack after hearing the devastating news of another delay. Kim Jong Il was planning on creating a Barbarian, because he felt that the class was the most overpowered and godlike.

And also, coincidentally, Dec 16 is the same day that Bashiok finally addressed the delay concerns by being very ambiguous, not denying anything, and just confirming that there is a delay and to be patient.

It's unfortunate that Blizzard was not fully prepared for this review considering the seriousness of the issue. They explained that they weren't expecting this to happen because they've never had problems like this before from their other (non-RMAH) games. I wouldn't be surprised, though, if certain details were left out.. like the metagame gambling nature of RMAH item selling. :)

Based on what I could translate, it appears that the "additional material requested period" is 7 days from now, at which point they'll undergo their investigation process again. So, it's still a couple weeks away.

So, on the bright side.. it looks like they were making some pretty good progress, and the decision was closer than we think (this year.) Unfortunately, because Blizzard did not provide enough information, it's been delayed, pushing it all back to probably the original early-mid January expectation.

So much for a Dec 31st announcement.. I guess it'll just be a major beta invite, pictures, and game information.

I wasn't going to talk about this subject on the blog but it was requested. So, here are my thoughts on the whole SOPA/PIPA situation. :)

What I Want

• I want SOPA to pass and I hope it's used to the extreme.


• I want to see Facebook, YouTube, search engines, blogging sites, pirating sites, forums, legitimate torrent sites, music and movie sharing sites, file upload/sharing site, photo and storage sites.. everything.. censored and shutdown.


• I want to see the government force people out into the streets with crowds of other people complaining loudly about this injustice, instead of complaining silently in front of their computer screens.


• I want the world to see the decision makers of this legislation (those in the government, corporations, and anti-piracy organizations) for who they really are; incompetent and archaic dinosaurs desperately struggling to halt progress, stop change, and to hold onto monopolies and dying business methodologies just so that they can pad their own wallets at the expense of their country and the scientific advancement of the human race.


• I want them to first start destroying entrepreneurship so that no new businesses are ever created in the US, and I want them to make it extremely difficult for the rest of the world.


• I want them to stifle creativity and innovation, and send us all back to the dark ages.


• I want to see the looks on their faces when new and existing businesses fail, the entertainment industry incurs substantial revenue loss, and people stop buying games, films, and music.


• I want to read the newspapers: "PROFITS DOWN", "LESS THAN EXPECTED REVENUE", "SELLING ASSETS", "STOCK DOWN". I want to see millions laid off within the entertainment industry. It'll be a fucking tragedy.


• I want to see the looks on their faces when they realize that piracy and freedom of ideas/information was actually the reason for their highest profits.


• I want this all to happen that so that, finally, there's undeniable proof (it's an actual fact.. it really happened) that piracy has actually benefited the entertainment industry this entire time. And, finally there's indisputable evidence that all of the anti-piracy organizations must have been lying about and manipulating all of their research and statistics this entire time.


• I want these SOPA supporters (RIAA, MPAA, ESA, Gov, Corp, etc) to embarrass themselves and never to be trusted again. They'll plunge the planet into the greatest economic and scientific crisis ever seen.


• I want everyone to realize that these people are SHITTING on the memories of our veterans, soldiers, and forefathers who fought for freedom and peace in our nation. They're just mean old men with old ideas who are destroying freedom out of incompetence, greed, or possibly dementia. I want them to be remembered as the worst people in history. I want their families to change their last names out of embarrassment and fear.


• I want to see these people try to talk their way out of this: "Profits aren't down because of this.. there MUST be another reason!"


• I want to read the headlines when all of these politicians, record labels, entertainment industry, and anti-piracy organizations leading the charge are the first against the wall when the revolution comes.


• Then I want to see some real change.

So, what should we do?

The entire entertainment industry needs a wake up call.

Yes, that's right.. you heard me: ALL OF THEM.

There are no innocents. Just because they're not listed as a "supporter" for SOPA, it doesn't mean they don't want it to happen or they're not supporting the initiative. Many companies pulled their names out of SOPA/PIPA/MPAA/ESA/RIAA "official support" purely because of the Public Relations opportunity.

Even with billions in revenue, they won't even lift a finger or even raise awareness on a single forum post. They all need to be brought to their knees so that they don't just sit around and do nothing (or they only get involved for PR purposes). They've all been on the side lines for too long, and they have the resources to fix this issue.

It's easy to do too, you just need the numbers.

Stop buying new video games and DLC. Stop buying new music. Stop going to the theater. Stop paying for films or streaming videos. Cancel your subscriptions.

All of the major entertainment leaders are heavily invested into infrastructure, manpower, IP, advertising budgets, and investments. They need this regular income to support the rest of their business and by lowering their revenue even by 20-30%, you can devastate them.

So, stop purchasing any types of NEW entertainment (e.g. games, movies, music) for even two quarters (6 months) and watch what happens.. stocks tumble, investors lose faith, they lay people off, they sell off assets, investors get even more worried, the cycle continues. Scare the shit out of them. They should be begging you for your financial support.

Your entertainment doesn't need to stop, you can just put your money into other forms of entertainment:

• Start playing indie games like Minecraft, Terrari, Space Pirates and Zombies, Trine, etc. If it looks like an independent, but they have a major publisher, skip them. Find some good games, get your friends playing them.


• Freeze new purchases, and just play older games instead. Break out your old gaming systems, buy older systems/games from pawn shops, get a new movement started.


• You can even purchase big games (but slightly older) from Bargain Bins or pawnshops. Major publishers actually hate that. They want you to buy new stuff. So, it's very important that none of their newer titles sell.


• Stop paying for music, and instead start listening to indie bands and songs. The same goes for independent (free) films.

The corporate machine is more delicate than you might think. Just stop feeding it, and things break down pretty quickly.

When all of this falls apart, perhaps those in power might even have an epiphany:

"If this is what happens when information is censored and intellectual property is protected, then the opposite must be true. So.. in a world without censorship, anti-piracy outfits, patents and intellectual "property" there will be major scientific advances, cures for every cancer, inexpensive goods with inexpensive production, new ideas, new innovation, better entertainment, better games, better movies, real competition rather than monopolization, and even more prosperity."

But they didn't get into their positions by being deeply insightful thinkers unfortunately.

I've finally added that "Essential Reading" list on the right hand navigation column.

It's a list of some of my favorite posts, and I'll be adding more to it later when I get a chance.

By the way, that "World of Warcraft's Alternative Revenue Streams" post was eerily prophetic. :)

During August 2010, here's what TOD considered for future services:

• Checking in-game mailboxes. Inventory, bank, character, and talent management through mobile.
• In-game chat with Guild, General Chat, Trade Chat, etc through mobile/remote.
• Integration with Battle.net to allow chat between accounts (e.g. SC2 and WoW players).
• Further integration with Facebook, linking the virtual world with your profile page.
• Depending on the success or failure of Cataclysm, we might see more non-vanity and game-effecting virtual items being sold. Elite hunter pets for sale? Change all vanity pets so that they can engage in special combat with each other (they level and grow) to sell even more vanity pets. This would be very easy to do.
• Guild Paid services for entire Guild Transfers or group/individual rates for multiple character transfers, realms transfers, renaming, and faction changes.

Here are some other revenue streams that will probable still happen:

• Reduced price structure of existing Paid Account services to attract more players.
• More "community" integration between Battle.net's games and then once you're hooked: paid premium services.
• More virtual pets, mounts, and special character customizations only available for sale (special hair cuts, glowing eyes, imposing skull faces, exclusive dances, flaming horns, jewellery, fashion wear, etc.) I think there would be many people who would pay $5-10 for bright glowing eyes.

I really like the idea of vanity aesthetics instead of the usual mount and pet only. Actually, I think Diablo 3 did something like this for the Collector's Edition.. Tyrael wings wasn't it?

And, here's one idea he had that would be perfect if Blizzard were to introduce it after the "Pokemon" Pet Battle system is implemented:

• Special virtual pets sold with very limited quantities so that people rush for
  the one-time-only "elite pet" or charity pets for those with a soft heart.

Blizzard take note!

This would be a great marketing item. A vanity (Pokemon battle) pet that's available in limited quantities and never to be sold again. Or, only available for a limited time.. that way, it encourages players to re-subscribe just to get the pet. :)