World of Warcraft boss says Microsoft is happy to 'let Blizzard be Blizzard,' but I'm not sure that's entirely true

Gaming IndustryWorld of Warcraft boss says Microsoft is happy to ‘let Blizzard be Blizzard,’ but I’m not sure that’s entirely trueWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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Garrosh Hellscream sits atop his throne in World of Warcraft, looking jacked as all get-out.

“We got time with Helen Chang from Mojang, and we were sharing information, so it’s almost as if we have access to what worked for them,” Longdale said. “We got to speak to the Elder Scrolls Online team and share what we’re up to and what’s been working, it’s almost like we get a benefit.

“There’s no one asking us to do anything. World of Warcraft is doing very well and they’re very proud of what it’s been able to accomplish, so it’s almost like just let it be, and let it keep being awesome. They’ve been tremendously supportive and it’s like, ‘let Blizzard be Blizzard’.”

Of course, “let Blizzard be Blizzard” is also a statement that could open to different interpretations. As an old-timer I have fond memories of the scrappy studio that had an amazing mid-’90s run with Warcraft, Diablo, and StarCraft, butthe bloom fell off the rose in a big wayin more recent years thanks to questionable decisions and allegations of widespread workplace misconduct at the company that led to the departure of several high-profile developers. The ABK Workers Alliance, an organization of employees formed in the wake of acivil rights lawsuitfiled against the company, actuallythanked Microsoftfor not letting Blizzard be Blizzard after it entered into a “labor neutrality agreement” with the Communications Workers of America union in 2022.

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Ultimately, Blizzard is Blizzard to the extent that it has a number of big, valuable games to its name, and I have no doubt that Microsoft will be happy to let them keep ticking as long as they’re printing money—as Phil Spencer himself said earlier this year, after all, it’s his job to ensure Xbox is “a profitable growing business.” I don’t know if it was a Microsoft decision or Bethesda’s call, or if maybe Dinga Bakaba is just a big fan, but as I think about Arkane—the studio responsible forDark Messiah,Dishonored,Prey, and so much more—working on alicensed Blade game, I strongly suspect that in the end, Blizzard will be whatever Microsoft wants it to be.

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