Bobby Kotick Criticizes Warcraft Film: 'Worst Movie 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 his strong disapproval of Universal's 2016 film adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft, calling it "one of the worst movies I've ever seen." Kotick suggested that the movie not only failed to meet expectations but also significantly impacted the development of World of Warcraft, describing it as a "distraction" that contributed to the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016.

Kotick praised Metzen as "the heart and soul of creativity of the company," and recounted how the film project, which was signed before Activision's ownership, drained resources and diverted the attention of Blizzard's developers. He lamented the delays in game expansions and patches, attributing them to the movie's production. "You think about all these people who make video games for a living, and now they have the chance to make a movie. They're helping with the casting, and they're on the set, and... it's just a huge distraction," Kotick explained.

Despite its poor performance in North America, earning only $47 million, Warcraft achieved temporary status as the most successful video game adaptation internationally, particularly in China, with a total global box office of $439 million. However, Legendary Pictures considered it a financial disappointment due to its high production costs.

Kotick shared that Metzen took the movie's failure personally before leaving to start a board game company. He later "begged" Metzen to return to Blizzard on a consultancy basis. However, Metzen was critical of the plans for the next two expansions, advocating for a complete overhaul.

Although Kotick had limited interaction with Metzen after his return, he acknowledged Metzen's significant influence on the last expansion, World of Warcraft: The War Within, which received a glowing 9/10 review from us. 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."