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

Former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has openly criticized Universal's 2016 adaptation of the company's beloved franchise, Warcraft, labeling it as "one of the worst movies I've ever seen." In a revealing interview on Grit, Kotick, who helmed Activision Blizzard for 32 years before stepping down in December 2023, went as far as to suggest that the film's production was a significant distraction for the development team behind World of Warcraft. This distraction, Kotick claims, played a role in the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen from the company in 2016.

Kotick described Metzen as the "heart and soul of creativity" at Activision Blizzard, emphasizing the impact of his departure due to burnout. He pointed out that the Warcraft movie, which was in the works before Activision's acquisition of the company, consumed a lot of resources and diverted the attention of Blizzard's developers. "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 explained. He attributed delays in game expansions and patches to the movie's production, reiterating his harsh opinion on its quality.

Although fans of the Warcraft movie may not see a sequel, director Duncan Jones had shared ambitious plans for a trilogy in 2020, centered around the fulfillment of Durotan’s promise to find a new home for his people. Despite underperforming in North America with a domestic gross of just $47 million, Warcraft became the most successful video game adaptation internationally at the time, thanks to its strong performance in China. However, with a total of $439 million in global earnings, Legendary Pictures considered it a failure due to its hefty budget.

Kotick revealed that Metzen took the movie's failure personally before leaving to start a board game company. He later "begged" Metzen to return to Blizzard on a consultancy basis, but Metzen was critical of the plans for the next two expansions, suggesting they needed a complete overhaul. Despite limited communication with Metzen after his return, Kotick praised his contributions to the last expansion, stating, "The last expansion, he had his fingertips all over it. It's excellent. The next one is going to be great."

Indeed, the impact of Metzen's return was evident in the highly acclaimed World of Warcraft: The War Within, which received a stellar 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."