If Blizzard doesn’t deliver a hit soon, it will be completely swallowed by Activision. At least that’s what some insiders claim.
In recent days, there has been a lot of speculation about Blizzard that resembles an “end of the world” scenario. While many rumors have come together and were quickly debunked, insiders have confirmed others. At the core are the following statements and accusations against Blizzard:
- Blizzard pays its employees little, and recently even less.
- Blizzard is gradually being taken over by Activision and is exchanging personnel.
Where do the statements come from? Jeremy from the YouTube channel “The Quartering” refers to messages he allegedly received from Blizzard employees after a previous video. He does not show the exact emails to protect his sources and not to betray the Blizzard employees. However, he does quote from these emails.
Are the statements trustworthy? Basically yes. Jeremy from TheQuartering has proven time and again in the past that he has good contact with insiders from various companies. Therefore, it seems very likely that he was contacted by Blizzard employees. Nonetheless, such unconfirmed statements should of course be taken with caution.
You can watch the full video (in English) here:
Employees pay for their passion: The pay at Blizzard among the “normal” employees is extremely low. Some developers even have to form small communities to afford rent and make a living at all. The compensation for the poor pay is the fact that you have a dream job and are working on some of the greatest games. Additionally, having “worked at Blizzard” looks great on a resume when applying to other companies later.
Those who complain are dismissed, and it is constantly implied that there are many other candidates for the same position who are eager to grab such a dream job. One is easily replaceable.
Blizzard lures with bonuses: The low income is sweetened by Blizzard with the promise of two bonus payments per year. One of them would be “performance-based”, the other would be related to the profit that Blizzard would have made this year.
For employees at the “lower levels”, this bonus might not exceed 10% of their income, resulting in still being paid less at the end of the year than at other gaming companies.
Parts of these bonus payments are said to have been abolished immediately after the CEO of Blizzard changed, and instead “partly integrated directly into wages”.
Mike Morhaime “was let go”: Mike Morhaime (former CEO of Blizzard) was always on the side of the employees and colleagues, even though he did not improve employee pay. He opposed the plans to abolish the annual bonus payment for employees. Shortly after he left Blizzard, this was enforced, allegedly under pressure from Activision.
Blizzard needs a hit: Blizzard was able to maintain its autonomy mainly because they had hit after hit, and thus received more or less “free rein” from Activision. However, this has changed in recent years. Because “Heroes of the Storm has failed, Overwatch is not a market leader, and World of Warcraft is not growing”.
If Blizzard does not deliver a hit with its next title, the integration into Activision will advance even further.
Positive aspects at Blizzard: However, not everything is bad at Blizzard. A job at Blizzard is considered “fairly secure”, as people are rarely laid off. Furthermore, there is the aforementioned improvement of one’s resume and the “boost to one’s ego” – who wouldn’t like to say they contributed to a Blizzard game played by millions?
Ultimately, the full truth of the statements cannot, of course, be verified. However, the statements paint a bleak picture of Blizzard, its future, and the future of the employees.
What do you think about these statements? Do you believe that everything corresponds to the truth? Or are some just riding the “hate wave” that started with Diablo: Immortal?
Currently, Blizzard is working on “multiple mobile titles” at the same time.
