Summary
Mike Ybarra believes thatBlizzardcould return to its independent roots following the Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Over the course of its long history, Blizzard has experienced several eras of success. BeforeWorld of Warcraft, the company was known for itsreal-time strategy games such asStarCraftandWarcraft 3, and forDiablo 2, the title that created the modern hack-and-slash genre.World of Warcraftcatapulted Blizzard into a whole new level of recognition, and almost 20 years later, Blizzard’s flagship MMO is still going strong.
Activision Blizzard was founded in July 2008 following a merger between Vivendi Games and Activision, eventually splitting from Vivendi by buying out the majority of its shares in July 2013. Over the next couple of years, the company saw financial growth, but Blizzard itself began to move away from titles such asStarCraft 2, saw the launch of the negatively-receivedWarlords of Draenor, and canceled the secondDiablo 3expansion to focus on creating a live-serviceDiablosequel. Many fans felt thatBlizzardwas being drowned out in the corporate hierarchy, and coupled with the Activision Blizzard lawsuits that sprung up in 2021, faith in the company was at all-time low.
“I think the way [Spencer] approaches building teams and focusing on culture and enabling creative freedom is going to give Blizzard a lot more of that sense of being an independent studio than ever before.”
With theMicrosoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard complete, Mike Ybarra revealed in aBlizzCon interview with The Vergethat he believes a more independent Blizzard will emerge in the coming years. Though Phil Spencer was part of the opening ceremony at BlizzCon 2023, players shouldn’t expect to see any Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass until 2024.
Though it’s business as usual for the teams at Blizzard, the company unveiled what the immediate future has in store for its fans:Diablo 4’s first expansion pack (titledVessel of Hatred), three new heroes forOverwatch 2,and the start of theWorldsoul Saga forWorld of Warcraft– an ambitious story that will span three expansions, starting withThe War Within. Blizzard has done much to regain the trust of its audience, particularly with the wayDragonflightwas handled by theWorld of Warcraftteam, but the road is still long, and not without its complications.
Controversy surrounded the company when itscaled-backOverwatch 2’s story campaign, andDiablo 4was mired in post-launch woes when it entered its inaugural season. Ultimately, Mike Ybarra believes that Blizzard will have a much easier time in the coming years, while Phil Spencer has proven to be supportive of the developers that recently joined the Microsoft umbrella, such as Bethesda withStarfield. It remains to be seen what this new era of Blizzard will look like, but the opportunity for change and growth is certainly there.
