Bobby Kotick Criticizes Warcraft Movie: 'One of the Worst Films Ever'

In a revealing interview on Grit, former Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick, who stepped down in December 2023 after leading the company for 32 years, shared his candid views on Universal's 2016 adaptation of Activision Blizzard's Warcraft. Kotick labeled the film as "one of the worst movies I've ever seen" and highlighted its negative impact on the development of World of Warcraft.

Kotick pointed out that the movie was a significant distraction for the Blizzard team, contributing to the departure of veteran designer Chris Metzen in 2016. "Chris Metzen was — and is, to me — the heart and soul of creativity of the company," Kotick stated, emphasizing Metzen's importance to the company. He explained that the film's production, which began before Activision acquired the company, diverted crucial resources and attention away from game development, leading to delays in expansions and patches.

The Warcraft movie, despite its domestic underperformance with a mere $47 million in North America, achieved international success, particularly in China, and temporarily became the highest-grossing video game adaptation. However, with a total global box office of $439 million, it did not break even on its substantial budget, leading Legendary Pictures to deem it a failure.

Kotick also noted that Metzen took the movie's reception personally, which influenced his decision to leave and start a boardgame company. Kotick later persuaded Metzen to return to Blizzard as a consultant, though he admitted to minimal interaction with Metzen post-return, acknowledging Metzen's superior expertise in game design. "What am I going to tell Chris Metzen about game design, you know? I just wanted him to do his thing," Kotick remarked.

Metzen's influence was evident in the last expansion, World of Warcraft: The War Within, which received a stellar 9/10 in our review. We praised 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."

Despite Kotick's harsh critique of the Warcraft movie, director Duncan Jones had envisioned a trilogy that would have explored "the fulfilling of Durotan’s promise to give his people a new home." However, these plans were shelved following the movie's financial disappointment.