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

In a revealing interview on Grit, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who led the company for 32 years before stepping down in December 2023, expressed strong criticism of Universal's 2016 adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft. Kotick labeled it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen," and highlighted its detrimental impact on the development of World of Warcraft, describing the film as a significant "distraction" for the team. This distraction was so substantial that it contributed to the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen from the company in 2016.

Kotick praised Metzen as "the heart and soul of creativity of the company," emphasizing his importance to Blizzard. He explained that Metzen left because he was "burnt out," and the film project played a role in this. The movie, which was initiated before Activision acquired the company, drained resources and diverted the focus of Blizzard's developers. Kotick noted that this led to delays in game expansions and patches, further compounded by the developers' involvement in movie-related activities like casting and set work.

While the Warcraft movie did not succeed in North America, grossing only $47 million, it achieved significant international success, particularly in China, temporarily becoming the highest-grossing video game adaptation. Despite earning $439 million globally, Legendary Pictures considered it a failure due to its high budget. Kotick revealed that Metzen took the movie's failure personally before leaving to start a board game company. Eventually, Kotick "begged" Metzen to return as a consultant, though Metzen was critical of the plans for the next two expansions, suggesting they needed a complete overhaul.

Kotick mentioned that he rarely spoke to Metzen after his return, respecting his expertise in game design. He acknowledged Metzen's significant influence on the last expansion, which Kotick deemed excellent and anticipated the next one to be equally impressive. This last expansion, World of Warcraft: The War Within, received a stellar 9/10 in our review, praised for revitalizing the two-decade-old MMO and making it feel "fresh and thrilling again."