Are they or aren't they? Two views of the same interview.

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I would like to point you all to two write ups of the same interview

First, here's the link to the Rob Pardo interview in question:

Original Interview

Now here's the write up from WorldofWar.net:

Rob Pardo Interview Hints Blizzard Games Heading to Consoles

and now another write up on the exact same interview from WoW.com:

Pardo says Blizzard still not interested in bringing WoW to consoles

Do you see the problem here?

Often times, we see players posting on here that blizzard promised this or Blizzard promised that, but if we are honest about it, we get most of our information from WoW news sites like these. And if two different people can get two so amazingly different ideas from the same interview, then maybe, just maybe, those promises from Blizzard were pie in the sky random thoughts from untrained bloggers pretending to be journalists.

And to Blizzard:

I really think you need to step in here and have a word with WoW.com. When WoW.com ( which is a darn good site for the most part ) starts posting in their headlines that Rob Pardo said something, then he should have actually said it! Misrepresenting him in such a way, in this particular case, will probably bother no one but it sets precedent and gives them the idea they can attribute quotes or paraphrased statements to Blizzard employees that were simply never said. The majority of those who scan the news, do just that, they scan it. Meaning they see the headlines and move on, especially if it doesn't effect their class in the here and now. they then tell their in-game friends what they saw and three months down the road when Blizzard makes a change, they start screaming on these forums that Blizzard said this or blizzard promised that. This leads to customer dissatisfaction and to the eventual cancellation of accounts and bad word of mouth down the road for future games.

Allowing inaccuracy in the press leads to bad press and that's just bad business.

Apples to Oranges

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A few weeks ago, I blasted WoW.com for comparing Free Realms account totals to World of Warcraft's subscription totals. Today on twitter I see people comparing facebooks farmtown totals to WoW. What is it with people? how can they possibly think this is even remotely the same thing? Is it some innate need to tear down success that fuels these comparisons? or just a complete lack of understanding of where these numbers come from?

Farmtown is a minigame provided free to users of facebook. You buy seeds and plant a crop, then wait a few days and harvest. You take your harvest to town, buy more seeds, plant again and...well, you get the idea.

Farmtown is one of those things that your friends try and spam gifts to you getting you to take a look. Like Free realms, by simply trying the game, you are counted as "playing" the game, even if you NEVER play it again. So, today when someone twittered that it had as many players as World of Warcraft, I stood appalled that someone could even compare the two.

These free games never give an accurate count as to the activity of their player base. They simply count all those who have signed up from day one until now. WoW, on the other hand, like all subscription based MMO's, counts only those accounts that are still active. And to have a 12.5 million active and paying customer base wins hands down in my book.

Someday, I hope Blizzard will release the numbers on how many accounts were created over the years, playing or not. I suspect it's more than twice their active subscriptions, and would silence the naysayers once and for all.