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 Universal's 2016 Warcraft film adaptation, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen" in a candid interview with Grit. Kotick, who led Activision Blizzard for 32 years before stepping down in December 2023, attributed the film's negative impact to the distraction it caused within the World of Warcraft development team, contributing to the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016.

Kotick described Metzen as the "heart and soul of creativity" at the company, stating that the movie's development diverted significant resources and developer time. He explained that the film's production involved Blizzard developers in casting and on-set activities, resulting in delays to World of Warcraft expansions and patches.

While the Warcraft movie underperformed in North America, grossing only $47 million domestically, its international success, particularly in China, led to 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 took the film's production personally, leading to his departure to found a board game company. Kotick subsequently attempted to persuade Metzen to return as a consultant, but Metzen expressed dissatisfaction with plans for upcoming expansions, advocating for their complete overhaul.

Although Kotick stated he rarely spoke to Metzen after his return, he credited Metzen's significant involvement in the later World of Warcraft expansion, which Kotick praised as excellent, and expressed confidence in the quality of the next expansion. This last expansion received a glowing 9/10 review, described 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."