In a revealing interview on Grit, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who stepped down in December 2023 after a 32-year tenure, expressed his strong disapproval of the 2016 film adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft. Kotick went as far as to call it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen," attributing the film to significant distractions within the development team at Blizzard.
Kotick highlighted the impact of the movie on the company, particularly on veteran designer Chris Metzen, whom he described as "the heart and soul of creativity of the company." According to Kotick, the film was a major distraction that led to delays in game expansions and patches. He explained, "Our expansions were late. You know, patches weren't getting done on time. And the movie was terr— it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen."
The decision to make the movie, Kotick noted, was made before Activision acquired the company. He lamented the resources it consumed and the distraction it posed to the development team, who became involved in aspects like casting and on-set activities.
The film, directed by Duncan Jones, had plans for a trilogy that would have followed "the fulfilling of Durotan’s promise to give his people a new home." However, despite its international success, particularly in China, where it became the most successful video game adaptation at the time, Warcraft did not break even on its substantial budget, grossing $439 million worldwide against a hefty production cost.
Chris Metzen's departure from Blizzard in 2016 to start a board game company was, according to Kotick, influenced by the movie. Kotick later "begged" Metzen to return to Blizzard on a consultancy basis. Despite Metzen's return, he found the plans for the next two expansions lacking and suggested they needed a complete overhaul.
Kotick admitted to having minimal interaction with Metzen after his return, stating, "Hardly ever. What am I going to tell Chris Metzen about game design, you know? I just wanted him to do his thing." He praised Metzen's influence on the last expansion, saying, "The last expansion, he had his fingertips all over it. It's excellent. The next one is going to be great."
Indeed, the last expansion, World of Warcraft: The War Within, received high praise, earning a 9/10 in our review. We noted it as "the best World of Warcraft has been on all fronts in many years, making this two-decade-old MMO feel fresh and thrilling again."
