Jason Schreier: Play Nice – The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment

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New York Times bestselling author and leading gaming industry investigative journalist Jason Schreier examines a decade of troubles at Blizzard Entertainment and the hostile corporate takeover that plunged the legendary developer into a real (World of Warcraft) crisis.

Bestselling author and leading investigative journalist in the gaming industry, Jason Schreier, examines three decades of ups and downs at Blizzard Entertainment in his book - up to the hostile takeover by a corporation and a sexual harassment scandal that led the famous developer into a (World of Warcraft) crisis.

For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company behind classics like Diablo and World of Warcraft was known for putting the joy of gaming above all else. What began as a simple mission by two UCLA students - to create games they wanted to play - grew into an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans and billions of dollars in revenue.

But when Blizzard canceled a promising project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the notorious CEO of parent company Activision, the excuse to limit Blizzard's proud autonomy. Led by executives from firms like McKinsey and Procter & Gamble, Activision began to undermine Blizzard from within. Flawed products, PR disasters, and mass layoffs followed, severely damaging the company's once pristine image. Finally, a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit in 2021 brought a far-reaching reckoning and a shocking $69 billion acquisition.

Based on interviews with over 300 current and former employees , PLAY NICE traces the 33-year epic history of Blizzard Entertainment - full of creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal. From previously unknown stories about Blizzard's early corporate culture, including brawls and a hotel ban, to the full history of Titan , Blizzard's most high-profile canceled project, and the behind-the-scenes history of how Blizzard executives battled their Activision overlords, this book explores the joys and pain of what it really means to bleed "Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, PLAY NICE is like The Social Network for the video game industry.

product information

English , Book, Hardcover, 384 pages, 2024, Grand Central Publishing (Publisher), 978-1-5387-2542-9 (ISBN)