Looks like we'll have to wait longer for the next iteration of the Xbox. Blizzard has confirmed that previous rumors stating that they are in talks with Microsoft over a new console is bunk.

At the ongoing GDC event, Rob Pardo of World of Warcraft studio Blizzard has confirmed that they are in talks with Microsoft over the next iteration of the Xbox console. He also suggests that Blizzard may be vying for a more RTS-friendly console.

Details after the link.

TGS may be exciting, but let's not forget that another gaming convention is taking place: Blizzcon! This piece of news comes from Blizzard president Mike Mohaime, who teases Diablo fans by saying that the third game might see a landing on consoles.

A lot of fans mourned when Blizzard cancelled Starcraft Ghost. However, the same community also applauded the company for its willingness to "pull the plug" on a game it felt was not up to Blizzard's standards.

After all, this is one of the few companies with an almost perfect track record. Every PC game it has released received much acclaim from critics and created loyal fan base among gamers.

World of Warcraft Lead Designer Rob Pardo recently spoke at the Hollywood and Games Summit and disclosed a lot of interesting details about how Blizzard runs its company.

What would interest most gamers though is the fact that Starcraft Ghost may not be dead after all and is just sleeping. This became clear as Pardo was discussing cancelled projects/games by Blizzard,

We're just willing to cancel the products that fail. That's important to our brand. We're willing to bite the bullet and write off those expenses. Sometimes six months into development, the idea doesn't flow. Our most recent one was Starcraft Ghost.

With that game we were very stubborn. I still believe in that game and the characters but we were not able to execute at the level we wanted to... Rather than work on that we had to focus on our other games. We're hoping one day to return to it.

"Hoping one day to return to it..." - These are the words that bring hope to myself and other gamers who desperately wanted Starcraft Ghost to come out. Well, nothing to do now but wait and hope Blizzard finds the magic balance that'll make the game worthy of being released.

While waiting, we will all have Starcraft II to chew on so no big loss really.

GameDaily is apparently done with its selection process for person of the Year. Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price and Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard come in at a tie for slot number 5. Cliffy B gets fourth place. WoW Wizard Rob Pardo gets number 3 Slot. Satoru Iwata comes in at second.

So who gets top honor this year? It's ESA president Douglas Lowenstein.

If you're wondering why he deserves top spot, just try to recall how many times the guy went to Capitol Hill. Too bad he's making an exit.

Anyhow, you could also check out QJ's 2006 Community Awards and let your voices be heard.