Bobby Kotick Criticizes Warcraft Movie: 'One of the Worst Films Ever'

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 of Universal's 2016 film adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen." Kotick went on to suggest that the movie was not only a disappointment but also a significant distraction for the development team at Blizzard, particularly impacting the production of World of Warcraft.

Kotick highlighted the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016, attributing it partly to the movie's influence. "Chris Metzen was — and is, to me — the heart and soul of creativity of the company," Kotick stated, noting that Metzen left due to burnout and took the movie project very personally. The film, which was in development before Activision's acquisition of Blizzard, required substantial resources and pulled developers away from their core work. "Our expansions were late. You know, patches weren't getting done on time," Kotick explained, underscoring the negative impact on the game's development cycle.

Despite the film's poor performance in North America, grossing only $47 million, it achieved international success, particularly in China, and temporarily became the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time, earning $439 million globally. However, it was still considered a financial disappointment by Legendary Pictures due to its high budget.

Kotick mentioned that he later "begged" Metzen to return to Blizzard on a consultancy basis. Upon his return, Metzen was critical of the plans for the next two expansions, suggesting they needed a complete overhaul. Although Kotick and Metzen did not communicate frequently after his return, Kotick praised Metzen's influence on the last expansion, World of Warcraft: The War Within, which received a glowing 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."

While the Warcraft movie may not see a sequel, director Duncan Jones had previously shared plans for a trilogy that would have explored "the fulfilling of Durotan’s promise to give his people a new home."