Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick slammed Universal's 2016 Warcraft adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen" in a candid interview with Grit. Kotick, who led Activision Blizzard for 32 years before stepping down in December 2023, attributed the film's negative impact to the diversion of resources and talent from World of Warcraft's development. He cited the film as a contributing factor to the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016, describing Metzen as "the heart and soul of creativity" at the company. Kotick explained that the film, a deal signed before Activision's acquisition, significantly distracted Blizzard developers, delaying expansions and patches. He lamented the resources poured into the movie's production and casting, impacting the timely completion of World of Warcraft updates.
Despite the film's poor reception from Kotick, Warcraft achieved international success, particularly in China, grossing $439 million worldwide. However, this wasn't enough to offset its massive budget, ultimately leading to the project being considered a financial failure. Kotick revealed that Metzen took the film's poor performance personally, leading to his departure to establish a board game company. Kotick later attempted to persuade Metzen to return as a consultant, but Metzen expressed dissatisfaction with plans for subsequent World of Warcraft expansions, advocating for a complete overhaul. Although Kotick and Metzen rarely interacted after Metzen's return, Kotick credits Metzen's influence on the most recent expansion, which received high praise, including a 9/10 score in a World of Warcraft: The War Within review. Kotick expressed confidence in the quality of the upcoming expansion.
