At the Goldman Sachs Technology Investment Symposium 2008 Conference (webcast available here), Activision Chief Executive Bobby Kotick addressed investors about a number of topics, including the mighty Blizzard and its insanely popular MMO World of Warcraft.

Kotick suggested that even a half-billion dollars wouldn't be enough to overtake WoW in the MMO space. Talking about the tough MMO market and why Blizzard was so attractive, he said, "Even if we were willing to invest the $500 million it would take just to get to a standstill with Blizzard, it would result in declining operating margins and huge risks. And we don't think that even if we made the $500 million or $1 billion investment to get a product out that would be competitive with Warcraft that we would be successful doing it."

It's hard for anyone to even consider competing with WoW, but it is possible if you ask Lars Buttler, former vice president for Global Online at Electronic Arts and now CEO and co-founder of Trion World Network, a publisher and developer of server-based games and original entertainment. Buttler thinks Activision is simply trying to scare away the competition.

"Nice try Mr. Kotick. We understand that Activision has to defend its merger and scare competition - but I have to call his bluff," Buttler told GameDaily BIZ. "We couldn't be more impressed with what Blizzard has started but WoW is just the beginning; it's pretty wild to suggest that there's only one team that could ever realize the potential of the connected era - and that there's no one out there that can deliver, no matter what the investment. They are truly a great team but there are other great teams out there who will make smart decisions, leverage the full advantage of connectivity and define the future of interactive entertainment."

He continued, "There are challenges for traditional publishers in this realm, there's no doubt. But with the right tools and technology, creativity and grasp of the potential that the connected era brings, new teams will create amazing games. Our message to developers and gamers alike is: there's been a paradigm shift everyone; join the party! We would go so far as to say: if you disagree with Mr. Kotick, call us!"

Trion itself has been slowly ramping up with more funding and new studio openings, but we've yet to hear about any products. That'll be changing soon, though. Buttler believes companies are too quick to divulge product information. "When you innovate production, it can be good to rethink communications too. A lot of companies tend to be trigger happy in the MMO space. Often companies will release information on products when they are very early in the product development process. In our opinion—too early. I can tell you our products are well under way, we have simply kept the focus on development. But I promise that we will open the kimono quite soon," he said.

He added that Trion is "examining global markets and opening discussions with ambitious developers who are eager to embrace server based gaming and potentially partner with Trion World Network."

As a veteran of the online space, we also asked Buttler for his take on what current MMO makers are doing right and what they're doing wrong. "There are many companies, with different approaches out there so I don't want to over-generalize. We see good ideas in fostering social networking aspects of games, looking at alternative monetization and distribution methods," he noted. "And we sometimes see some stodgy ideas - primarily as it relates to approaching games as packaged goods versus a service business."

"Right now, we are full steam ahead, working with world-class talent, providing innovative MMO designers and developers with the ability to make games faster with less risk on the Trion platform which allows for content creation with flexibility and speed."

MMOs are very much a part of the PC space currently, but we imagine they'll be invading consoles soon. Trion agrees. "We see all connected devices as potential platforms for our products. The rapid adoption of connected consoles presents incredible opportunities for a company like Trion that is focused on the server-based games and entertainment space," said Buttler.