David Brevik, as well as Erich and Max Schaefer, were co-founders of Blizzard North and developed the first Diablo. In an interview, they explain that today’s Blizzard has little in common with the game studio of yore.
Who are David Brevik, as well as Erich and Max Schaefer? Founded in 1991 by Michael Morhaime, Frank Pearce, and Allen Adham, the game studio Blizzard split into two companies in 1993. Under the company name Condor, David Brevik, Erich Schaefer, and Max Schaefer developed an action role-playing game called Diablo. In 1995, the studio was renamed Blizzard North.
Thus, David Brevik, Erich Schaefer, and Max Schaefer are the founders of Blizzard North and developed the original Diablo.
Blizzard has completely changed
What did the developers say about Blizzard? In 2003, all three left Blizzard to pursue their own paths. At the ExileCon, they were asked about their opinions on Blizzard.
David Brevik was asked if it was difficult to watch a company he co-founded change more or less.
He replied, “Not ‘more or less.’ Blizzard has completely changed!”
Max Schaefer (Torchlight Frontiers) elaborated: “The old Blizzard is gone. When we quit, there were a total of 180 employees. Today there are thousands. The whole empire is different, and Activision had no influence. At that time, it was just Blizzard and then some anonymous corporate owner, Vivendi or whoever. That was it. And now Blizzard is a video game empire that has to satisfy shareholders and all these things.”
It used to be about the players
Was it really different back then? According to David Brevik, Erich Schaefer, and Max Schaefer, developers had to discuss with management how games should look even back then. However, it was not about satisfying shareholders but about developing a good concept for the players.
That is no longer the case, as Blizzard has become this huge company. “You can’t get so big and still remain as free as we were. One of the reasons we left Blizzard was to be more self-determined and not committed to a monstrous organization,” Max Schaefer said.
“We wouldn’t have survived Blizzard’s growth in any form if we had stayed there. It would have driven us crazy, because all we want to do is have a team and develop the games we want to make. That is possible in a small group, as Blizzard used to be. But it is not possible in the media conglomerate empire that currently exists.”
Blizzard underestimated the Hearthstone situation
What do the three think about the situation surrounding the Hearthstone player “Blitzchung”? According to Max Schaefer, Blizzard found itself in a no-win situation with Hearthstone. There simply was no way out that wouldn’t scratch the company’s image.
David Brevik agreed and also said that he considers it a conspiracy theory that Blizzard acted this way for China. Max Schaefer mentioned that Blizzard is simply driven by money and that finances determine actions more than anything else. Presumably, Blizzard did not anticipate how much this decision would impact.
According to David Brevik, Erich Schaefer, and Max Schaefer, Blizzard is simply not the game studio it used to be. Do you agree?
