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Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment
Win a free print copy of this book!
10 days and 19:31:41
20 copies available
U.S. only
New York Times bestselling author and the gaming industry's preeminent investigative journalist Jason Schreier examines three decades of ups and downs at Blizzard Entertainment leading up to a hostile corporate takeover and a sexual misconduct scandal that put the legendary developer in a world of (Warcraft) trouble.
For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company celebrated the joy of gaming over all else, and every product it released was an instant classic: StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft, which forever changed the video game landscape. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission — to make games they wanted to play — launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars.
But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Led by executives from McKinsey and Procter & Gamble, Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside, driving away throngs of key employees in a push for predictability over creativity. Glitchy products, PR disasters, and mass layoffs followed, marring the company’s once pristine image. In 2021, the state of California filed a staggering lawsuit against the company for sexual misconduct and discrimination, leading to a widespread reckoning and a $69 billion acquisition that sent shockwaves through the industry.
Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, PLAY NICE chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment — and explores the delight and despair of what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, PLAY NICE is The Social Network for the video game industry.
For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company celebrated the joy of gaming over all else, and every product it released was an instant classic: StarCraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and World of Warcraft, which forever changed the video game landscape. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission — to make games they wanted to play — launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars.
But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Led by executives from McKinsey and Procter & Gamble, Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside, driving away throngs of key employees in a push for predictability over creativity. Glitchy products, PR disasters, and mass layoffs followed, marring the company’s once pristine image. In 2021, the state of California filed a staggering lawsuit against the company for sexual misconduct and discrimination, leading to a widespread reckoning and a $69 billion acquisition that sent shockwaves through the industry.
Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, PLAY NICE chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment — and explores the delight and despair of what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, PLAY NICE is The Social Network for the video game industry.
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication October 8, 2024
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Want to read
July 18, 2024can video game journalists have superfans (yes) (us)
updated july 2024:
hey netgalley if you read this I'm free thursday night and would love to read play nice. please please grant me this book and then on thursday night I will read it when I'm free. xoxoxo. rach.
updated july 2024:
hey netgalley if you read this I'm free thursday night and would love to read play nice. please please grant me this book and then on thursday night I will read it when I'm free. xoxoxo. rach.
August 31, 2024
Grand Central Publishing provided an early galley for review.
As a former software developer and a life-long videogame player, this new release caught my attention. And I've played a Blizzard game or two in my time.
There is a lot of history in these pages, both from the people and products that came out of the Blizzard company as well as references to other software developers and games. It will, therefore, appeal a lot more strongly to those who are familiar with and/or interested in the topic. Schreier moves through thirty-three years of videogame history at a fairly solid pace, hitting the highlights (and lowlights) as well as sprinkling in the important notes and recollections of people who were involved.
Having worked for a large computer company early in my career (IBM), I could very much relate to Blizzard's cycle of growth, faltering and reorganization. It was also interesting to see how Blizzard struggled when it came to the role (or lack thereof) of women in the company, and it was appalling to read about the amount of harassment female staff members had to endure within that corporate culture.
As a former software developer and a life-long videogame player, this new release caught my attention. And I've played a Blizzard game or two in my time.
There is a lot of history in these pages, both from the people and products that came out of the Blizzard company as well as references to other software developers and games. It will, therefore, appeal a lot more strongly to those who are familiar with and/or interested in the topic. Schreier moves through thirty-three years of videogame history at a fairly solid pace, hitting the highlights (and lowlights) as well as sprinkling in the important notes and recollections of people who were involved.
Having worked for a large computer company early in my career (IBM), I could very much relate to Blizzard's cycle of growth, faltering and reorganization. It was also interesting to see how Blizzard struggled when it came to the role (or lack thereof) of women in the company, and it was appalling to read about the amount of harassment female staff members had to endure within that corporate culture.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews