Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick slammed the 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen" in a recent interview with Grit. Kotick, who led the company for 32 years before stepping down in December 2023, attributed the film's negative impact to the distraction it caused within the World of Warcraft development team, contributing to the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016. He described Metzen as the "heart and soul of creativity" at Blizzard.
Kotick stated that the film, a pre-existing deal before Activision's acquisition, consumed significant resources and diverted developers' attention from their core game development responsibilities. He noted delays in expansions and patches, directly linking these setbacks to the film's production. He emphasized the significant distraction of developers being involved in aspects like casting and on-set work.
While the Warcraft film failed to meet expectations 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 it a financial failure due to its substantial budget.
Kotick revealed that Metzen, deeply affected by the film's production, left to establish a board game company. Kotick later attempted to persuade Metzen to return as a consultant, but Metzen expressed dissatisfaction with the plans for subsequent World of Warcraft expansions, advocating for a complete overhaul. Although Kotick stated he rarely consulted Metzen after his return, he credits Metzen's influence on the latest expansion, praising its quality and success. This last expansion indeed received high praise, earning a 9/10 score in a review, hailed as a revitalizing experience for the long-running MMO.
