The former Blizzard employee and developer of WoW Chris Kaleiki spoke about his experiences and explained why he and his colleagues do not want to go back.
Who is it about? The former WoW developer Chris Kaleiki worked as a developer for Blizzard between 2007 and 2020 (via kaleiki.com). His passion at that time included class skills, but he also invented the Monk. More than two dozen of them come from his pen.
After his departure from Blizzard, the developer founded his own studio, Notorious Studios. With his team, he has been working on his own mini MMORPG Legacy: Steel & Sorcery, which will enter Early Access on Steam on February 12, 2025.
During his game presentation at Gamesradar, he also spoke about his time at Blizzard and the work he and his colleagues did back then.
Do you know why loot has the colors that we all know?
Just don’t go back
What was it like back then at Blizzard? Chris Kaleiki and his team are currently working on an AA game. A game that ranks between indie titles and AAA blockbusters. The work now is very different from his time at Blizzard.
Working on AAA titles like World of Warcraft or Elden Ring and Dark Souls, according to him, is like a coliseum in modern times.
As a game developer, it is really exciting to work on the coliseum. Holy shit, what a story. So this will continue. I don’t think this will disappear, because players appreciate this kind of games. But it is not sustainable to build so many coliseums.
Metaphorically, he describes his involvement in a grand spectacle that attracts many viewers, but there can probably only be a limited number of these venues so that they can be filled. He further explains that when working on AAA games, you become a kind of specialist, because you have a set task that allows hardly any flexibility.
How is his situation different now? According to him, his work is now very different from back then. In his daily life, it is characterized as follows: “There is less bureaucracy to go through. You feel like you can jump around in the game and do different things.”
His colleagues seem to see it that way as well. He says: “Most AAA developers who have joined our team do not want to go back to AAA because of some of these advantages. But as I said, AAA is also fun because you can work on a big product that many people know. You work on the coliseum.”
In the new studio of former WoW developer Chris Kaleiki, the team comes first, even before the players. On the website (via notorious.gg), they share their philosophy: “If we can’t develop a great studio, how can we then develop a great game? Our team has top priority, because if the team is not doing well, the player won’t be satisfied either.”
Working on a big prestigious title can be tempting, but the working conditions and variety in the real job do not necessarily have to be good just because the title is well-known. Another former employee has also opened up about harsh working conditions at Blizzard: Former employee reports how it was to have a ‘normal job’ after 6 years at Blizzard
