Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick slammed the 2016 Warcraft film adaptation as "one of the worst movies I've ever seen" in a recent Grit interview. Kotick, who led the company for 32 years before his departure in December 2023, attributed the film's negative impact to several key issues within Blizzard.
He cited the movie as a significant distraction for the World of Warcraft development team, contributing to delays in expansions and patches. Kotick highlighted the impact on veteran designer Chris Metzen, stating, "Chris Metzen was — and is, to me — the heart and soul of creativity of the company," and that the film's production "burnt him out," ultimately leading to Metzen's departure in 2016. The extensive resources diverted to the film, along with the involvement of game developers in aspects like casting and on-set work, significantly hampered progress on the game.
Despite the film's international success, grossing $439 million globally (though falling short of breaking even), Kotick described it as a resource drain and a major setback for Blizzard. He revealed that Metzen, deeply affected by the film's production, was later approached by Kotick to return as a consultant. However, Metzen's dissatisfaction with plans for subsequent World of Warcraft expansions led to limited collaboration.
Kotick expressed his desire to let Metzen focus on his work, emphasizing Metzen's significant contribution to the most recent expansion, which Kotick praised highly. This sentiment aligns with critical reception; the expansion received a 9/10 rating in a World of Warcraft The War Within review, lauded as a revitalizing experience for the long-running MMO.
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