"Bobby Kotick Criticizes Warcraft Movie as 'One of the Worst'"

In a revealing interview on Grit, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who stepped down in December 2023 after 32 years at the helm, didn't mince words about Universal's 2016 adaptation of the company's Warcraft franchise. Kotick bluntly stated that he believed the movie was "one of the worst movies I've ever seen." He further elaborated on the film's negative impact, suggesting it was a significant distraction for the development team at Blizzard Entertainment and played a role in the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016.

Kotick praised Metzen, calling him "the heart and soul of creativity of the company." He noted that the movie project, which was already in motion before Activision acquired Blizzard, drained resources and diverted the focus of the development team. "You think about all these people who make video games for a living, and now they have the chance to make a movie. They're helping with the casting, and they're on the set, and... it's just a huge distraction," Kotick remarked. He also mentioned that this distraction led to delays in expansions and patches for World of Warcraft.

While the Warcraft movie did not perform well in North America, earning only $47 million domestically, it achieved significant success internationally, particularly in China. Despite grossing $439 million worldwide, it was considered a financial disappointment by Legendary Pictures due to its substantial budget. Director Duncan Jones had plans for a trilogy, aiming to fulfill the storyline of Durotan giving his people a new home, but these plans were ultimately canceled.

Kotick shared that Metzen took the movie's failure personally before leaving to start a board game company. However, Kotick later "begged" Metzen to return to Blizzard on a consultancy basis. Upon his return, Metzen was critical of the next two planned expansions, suggesting they needed a complete overhaul. Despite this, Kotick mentioned that he rarely spoke to Metzen about game design, preferring to let him work independently. He credited Metzen's influence on the last expansion, which we reviewed highly, giving World of Warcraft: The War Within a 9/10 and describing it as "the best World of Warcraft has been on all fronts in many years, making this two-decade-old MMO feel fresh and thrilling again."