Finished reading: Play Nice by Jason Schreier 📚Blizzard Entertainment was my favorite game publisher from Warcraft 2 until the implosion. I played World of Warcraft for more than a decade, along with every major Blizzard release. Play Nice does a good job of capturing the magic of while being honest about the major problems over the years. I was at BlizzCon 2014, which, in retrospect, felt like the peak of Blizzard’s empire. The announcement of Overwatch, ramp to the WarCraft movie, and news in every major franchise for perhaps the last time, made it extremely exciting. I even got a movie credit in WarCraft as part of the crowd. It was pure magic.

There were a few people inside that I was surprised weren’t mentioned, but I can understand that the focus of the book was on the rise and fall, not the side stories. Still, it captures the essence of what made Blizzard great at making games. It also shows how many of those same things, like the boy’s club mentality, belief in its own process, and lack of focus on financial performance, turned toxic over time. This was amplified by Activision’s corporate mentality, which was seemingly at odds with everything Blizzard stood for. Because of this, Blizzard leadership dug in their heels to protect the culture, both good and bad.

The leadership lesson here is that we must maintain a level of objectivity about what we’re doing. Having core values is important, as are guiding principles in our approach. We must also adapt to the changing world. Blizzard struggled as the industry shifted to live service games, where updates and micro-transactions became the revenue stream over one-time purchases. That lack of adaptability shows a leadership gap that is deadly in a space with fierce competition.

The other big problem, and what broke everything in the end, was the continued lack of protection of its employees. It seems countercultural, from the outside at least, to have done so little to stop harassment and retaliation. However, it does fit with the mindset of “we just make great games”. What is successful with a small business often doesn’t scale to the heights that Blizzard reached. Large organizations need more structure, especially in disciplines like HR and Finance, to make sure things run smoothly.

All told, I loved the book because I felt like I was a part of the story. It is also a very sad tale. My guild felt it in real-time, though we always thought it was just a bump in the road because our faith in the company was so high. In retrospect, we should have seen it coming. We are great at ignoring the warning signs, as is highlighted over and over again in this story. A little pragmatism, particularly in leadership roles, is a healthy thing. Without it, the end is inevitable.