Kotick Pans Warcraft Movie: "One of the Worst"

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick slammed Universal's 2016 Warcraft film adaptation in a recent Grit interview, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen." 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 the burnout of key personnel, particularly veteran designer Chris Metzen, who left the company in 2016.

Kotick described Metzen as the "heart and soul of creativity" at Blizzard, stating that the Warcraft movie, a pre-existing deal Activision inherited, significantly distracted the development team. He explained that developers were pulled into film production, impacting the timely release of World of Warcraft expansions and patches. The film's production, according to Kotick, was a major distraction, leading to delays and impacting the quality of game development.

While the Warcraft movie underperformed in North America, grossing only $47 million domestically, its international success, particularly in China, resulted in a global total of $439 million. Despite this, Legendary Pictures considered the film a financial failure due to its substantial budget.

Kotick revealed that Metzen, deeply affected by the film's production, eventually left to start a board game company. Kotick later attempted to bring Metzen back as a consultant, but Metzen expressed dissatisfaction with plans for subsequent World of Warcraft expansions, advocating for a complete overhaul. Although Kotick claims to have rarely spoken to Metzen after his return, he credits Metzen's influence on the most recent expansion, praising its quality and success. This latest expansion received high praise, earning a 9/10 score in our World of Warcraft: The War Within review, which lauded it as a revitalizing experience for the long-running MMO.