Blizzard, are they the greatest gaming company to exist today? I’ve been a huge fan of Blizzard games for many years. What makes a good company in my eyes are those that can create newer experiences by changing their comfort zones like genres. Blizzard make many top quality games and what makes them great is that there all in difference categories. There’s something about a Blizzard game that makes it unique, there’s a polish of brilliance that occurs on their games. It’s like a Blizzard touch to it. And there aren’t many companies out there that can do what Blizzard do and be successful at it. Nintendo in its prime could release titles that managed to be top of the line games in different categories and Rare back in the 90s which not only made some of the greatest games of all time, they managed to conquer other genres, like Racing, Platforming, Fighters, and FPS. Blizzard seems to be the only company I can think of today that lives up to those heavy expectations. Its one thing making a game in another catagory, and its another being the best in it, Blizzard seem to do both very well or close to. FYI - They also host their own major event yearly known as BlizzCon which average 20,666 attendees from the past 9 years. They are huge. Blizzard isnt just a game company, its a community.

I have listed below Blizzard’s current library of modern games that’s available on Battle.net

World of Warcraft (93 Meta) – WoW has remained the best MMO for the past decade and it’s no surprise this is Blizzard’s pride of joy. It’s the game that has changed the company forever. Still 10+ years later WoW averages a Meta score of 88.6 with all 5 of its major expansions up to Warlords of Dreanor. With still 5.5 million subscribers, the game is by far the best MMO-RPG ever created and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon with its new expansion, Legion due this year. With peak of 12 million subscriptions in October 2010 and the final report of 5.5 million subscriptions in October 2015, World of Warcraft remains the world's most-subscribed MMORPG, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG by subscribers. In January 2014, it was announced that more than 100 million accounts had been created over the game's lifetime.

Starcraft 2 (93 Meta) – On release this game was a major hit straight off the bat. Not only has it sold incredibly well on launch, it is the fastest selling RTS game of all time with 3million sold in its first month. The Series averages an 89 Meta with all 3 Expansions and to this day, Starcraft offers the best RTS mechanics and gameplay claiming the RTS crown by many.

Diablo 3 (88 Meta) - Diablo III set a new record for fastest-selling PC game selling over 3.5 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release, and was the best-selling PC game of 2012, selling over 12 million copies during the year. It has sold 30 million copies across all platforms. Diablo III received acclaim from critics. If you don’t know what Diablo is or played it then I suggest you do. It’s one if not the best Action/Hack and Slash games on the market which delivers not only on amazing polish and gameplay but offers an incredible dark and violent story.

Hearthstone (88 Meta) – The game has been favorably reviewed by critics and proven successful for Blizzard. By April 2016, Blizzard has reported more than 50 million Hearthstone players. The game has become popular as an eSport with cash-prize tournaments hosted by Blizzard and other parties. Though I haven’t spent many hours playing Hearthstone, I must say it’s an amazing card game which again shines with Blizzard’s polish and remains to be one of the best card games available that iv played.

Heroes of the Storm (86 Meta) – This is a hard genre to compete in with the juggernauts of League of Legends and Dota 2, however this is more a form of taste then it is on which games are better. Heroes outshines both in terms of quality with its better visuals from Blizzards touch of polish. I am however unable to find out its sales projections. I must say for a Free to Play game, you can’t ask for much. I couldn’t enjoy Dota 2 or LoL however with Heroes having a more casual approach I was able to play games and enjoy them from the start without a hefty learning curve like the others. In my own opinion Heroes delivers. Is it the best in the genre? That’s debatable. Heroes is probably Blizzards weakest link, however if it is then it surely proves my point on the company, because it’s another great game especially if your into MOBA.

Overwatch (92 Meta) – What else is there to say about this game apart from its fantastic Pixar cinematics and fun factor exceeding my own expectations, this game is a blast and is regarded as one of the best games going around in 2016. Blizzard’s new and immensely popular team based shooter tops UK sales charts for the week ending May 28, 2016. Overwatch is also Blizzard’s fastest selling console game to date, and continues a long-standing trend of Blizzard games dominating their respective niches in the games market. I stated in a thread before that cracking a 90 Meta in the FPS market is extremely hard to do and not one FPS game this gen has achieved that, except for Overwatch, a game made by Blizzard.

I might be a Blizzard fanboy, but let’s look past that. Blizzard is incredibly successful for a reason, they always deliever no matter what game they decide to make. They have amazing fan service and one of the biggest followings going around. I am happy to hear gamer’s thoughts about Blizzard and there success of a company and what would be there next genre they will enter? I wouldn’t mind seeing a Blizzard Racing/Kart Game for example.

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Metacritic doesn’t tell the full story either. There’s more to a game then a review. Blizzard games may not hold the greatest scores of all time like Mario Galaxies (97), Halo CE (97) Zelda OoT (99) GTA5 (97) however there games and player base tells a completely different story. Please don’t turn this thread into a Meta-War.

Not all companies are perfect, and many might not like the type of games some companies make. It’s understandable if you don’t like a game based off its genre, however remember just because you may not like the game/type does not take away from the quality, success and popularity of the game. This is a debate on Blizzard entering multiple genres and succeeding and beating those that actually specialise in them. Not comparing them to companies that only specialise in one market.

I agree to a point, any company can make a great game if they spend the time and resources into it. Rockstar and Naughty Dog dont go past there strenghts. For example what was Rockstars last game that wasnt a openworld sandbox game? What was ND's last game that didnt go past the linear Action/Adventure?

Im talking on the fronts of creating master pieces that is not based in the same genre. Like my honorable mentions to Nintendo and Rare and lets add Sega back in there day to that list. 

Wow, you made the same comparison I was thinking of doing (Rareware). But yeah, what makes them great is how they can make a wide range of games/series' from very different genres. And not only the high quality games, but they also take their time and don't rush out games. Overall, they seem like a great gaming company. Also, how they handled the (stupid) Tracer pose bs that happened was fantastic. Respects to them for that.
I've never played a Blizzard game (not into PC gaming, at least until I get a good PC), but I only hear good things about them.

They have historical made some great stuff. However most of that is historical and without getting into metacritic arguments I think most of their review scores are WAY overrated. The user ratings in many of their games give a far better indication, especially for WoW expansions and POS that was Diablo 3. I have not tried OVerwatch yet but looking to try it. Overall though I would not put blizzard at top, I would not even put them in my top 5 though there is no arguing they have been extremely successful.

I was also going to do a RareWare thread since they have done some incredible things in the past. The best thing about Blizzard games is there games are heavily optimized so you don’t even need a powerful gaming PC to play them, it’s fantastic because there view on gaming isn’t about power but about accessibility and gameplay, and they still manage to look great. Definitely recommend downloading Battle.net once you get your PC up and going. Blizzard games are a form of life.

I suppose in many respects they could be considered that. Personally Im not a fan of them but i can respect the work they do

Nintendo is the best hands down

They're probably the best or one of the best out of the genres they tend to focus on but the best overall, no.

Blizzard may be the best developer at creating products and supporting systems around them. If that's what you consider 'the best in the industry', the answer is yes. Otherwise the answer is probably no. For example, I wouldn't call Blizzard the best at creating experiences (of which Uncharted would be an excellent example).

Definitely one of the best in terms of solely creating good games I guess.