Former Activision Blizzard Boss Bobby Kotick Slams Warcraft Film, Calls It 'One of the Worst Movies I've Ever Seen'

In a revealing interview on Grit, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who stepped down in December 2023 after a 32-year tenure, expressed strong criticism towards the 2016 Universal adaptation of Warcraft. Kotick labeled the film as "one of the worst movies I've ever seen," and highlighted its negative impact on the development of World of Warcraft. He pointed out that the movie was a significant distraction for the team at Blizzard, contributing to the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016.

Kotick praised Metzen as the "heart and soul of creativity" at the company, lamenting his burnout and subsequent exit. He mentioned that the decision to make the Warcraft movie was made before Activision owned Blizzard, and it consumed substantial resources. Kotick noted that the film's production led to delays in game expansions and patches, as developers were pulled into movie-related tasks such as casting and set involvement.

Despite its poor performance in North America, where it earned only $47 million, Warcraft found success internationally, particularly in China, temporarily becoming the highest-grossing video game adaptation ever. However, with a total box office of $439 million, Legendary Pictures considered it a financial disappointment due to its high production costs.

Kotick revealed that Metzen took the movie's failure personally before leaving to start a board game company. Eventually, Kotick persuaded Metzen to return to Blizzard on a consultancy basis, although Metzen was critical of the plans for the next two expansions, advocating for a complete overhaul.

Kotick admitted to minimal interaction with Metzen upon his return, respecting his expertise in game design. He acknowledged Metzen's significant influence on the last expansion, World of Warcraft: The War Within, which received high praise, earning a 9/10 in our review. We described 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."