Activision’s disastrous influence on Blizzard – ex-employees report
In the Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2022 there was a lecture by three veterans of blizzard to the story of Diablo. In addition to some funny stories and anecdotes from the old days, the topic of Activision also came up. Ex-Lead Designer Jay Wilson shared his own unwelcome experiences.
The merger with Activision
At the end of the lecture, the three former Blizzard employees Matt Uelmen (composer & sound designer), Jay Wilson (lead design in “Diablo III“) and Matt Householder (producer) answering questions from the audience. The last question was aimed at Acquisition of Activision away.
“Activision’s effect on Blizzard has been like a frog in boiling water.”
Jay Wilson at PRGE 2022 – Diablo Retrospect
With this, Wilson alludes to the myth that a frog would not notice if it was slowly boiled in initially cold water. He reports that Blizzard had a similar experience. At the beginning remained the new association apparently without major consequences.
But gradually as the business models had more of an impact on their own products, the effects became more and more evident. The developers who worked on new products were involved to contend with stronger guidelines and high pressure.
Averting Blizzard
A lot of Blizzard employees own the company abandoned over the years. Employees who have been instrumental in making Blizzard what it is. Wilson is convinced that, above all, the Activision business decisions have contributed significantly.
He also parted ways with Blizzard. As the first internal discussions too Diablo Immortal came up and he opposed this form of “Diablo“ pronounced, he was summarily pulled by the Diablo team.
In his opinion, even before Activision, there were good and bad flows within Blizzard. A core aim of the team has always been the players deliver great games and charge a reasonable price for it – what in direct conflict with company policy by Activision.
You can find the whole lecture in the YouTube video. What is your opinion on Blizzard? Are you still fans and how do you think the group will develop in the future?
Reference-www.playcentral.de
