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

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick slammed the 2016 Warcraft film adaptation as "one of the worst movies I've ever seen" in a recent interview with Grit. Kotick, who helmed Activision Blizzard for 32 years before his departure in December 2023, attributed the film's negative impact to the diversion of resources and talent from World of Warcraft's development.

He highlighted the significant role of veteran designer Chris Metzen, describing him as "the heart and soul of creativity" at the company. Kotick stated that the movie, a pre-existing deal Activision inherited, proved a major distraction, leading to Metzen's burnout and subsequent departure in 2016. The project, according to Kotick, significantly delayed expansions and patches, diverting key personnel to film-related tasks such as casting and on-set assistance.

"It took a lot of resources and distracted developers at Blizzard," Kotick explained. "They're helping with the casting, and they're on the set... it's just a huge distraction. Our expansions were late. Patches weren't getting done on time."

Despite the film's international success, grossing $439 million globally (though falling short of breaking even), its domestic performance was weak, earning only $47 million in North America. Kotick revealed that Metzen, deeply affected by the film's outcome, left to establish a board game company. Kotick later attempted to persuade Metzen to return as a consultant, but Metzen expressed dissatisfaction with the planned expansions, advocating for a complete overhaul.

While Kotick acknowledged limited subsequent interaction with Metzen, he emphasized Metzen's crucial involvement in the latest World of Warcraft expansion, praising its quality and success. This expansion, receiving a 9/10 rating in our review (link to review), is considered a revitalizing force for the long-running MMO.