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 production to significant setbacks within World of Warcraft's development.

He cited the movie as a major distraction for the development team, contributing to burnout and the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016. Kotick described Metzen as the "heart and soul of creativity" at the company, highlighting the impact of the film's resource drain and the diversion of key personnel to movie-related tasks like casting and on-set work. This, Kotick stated, led to delays in World of Warcraft expansions and patches.

While the Warcraft film underperformed in North America, grossing only $47 million domestically, its international success, particularly in China, resulted in a global total of $439 million. Despite this, Legendary Pictures considered the film a financial failure due to its substantial budget.

Kotick revealed that Metzen, deeply affected by the film's production, eventually left to establish a board game company. Kotick subsequently attempted to persuade Metzen to return as a consultant, but Metzen expressed dissatisfaction with the planned expansions, advocating for a complete overhaul. Their subsequent interaction was minimal, with Kotick emphasizing his desire to allow Metzen creative freedom.

Kotick concluded by expressing his confidence in the quality of the most recent World of Warcraft expansion, noting Metzen's significant contributions and anticipating the success of the upcoming expansion. This positive assessment aligns with critical acclaim, including a 9/10 score in a review of "The War Within" expansion, which praised the revitalized feel of the long-running MMO.