There was a point in time when Blizzard was one of the biggest and most respected developers in the world. They made hit MMOs, dungeon crawlers, RTS titles, and eventually helped start a crazy via an online team shooter. However, things started to go downhill over time, especially after merging with Activision. Not just in the quality of the games but also in the situations that were going on in the workplace. Fast forward to now, and many aren’t sure what’s next for the company after it had yet another merger, this time with Microsoft. However, some job listings do shed some light on the situation.
The news comes from the careers page from Blizzard itself. On the page we linked, multiple “director” positions are specifically labeled as being for an “unannounced game.” When you look into the positions themselves, the company was smart in hiding key details, even stating that the person hired for these director positions would likely work across multiple projects instead of just the “unannounced title.”
To say that the company “needs a win” right now would be quite an understatement. After all, while Blizzard has had some wins in the recent past, including getting bought by Microsoft, it’s come at a cost that many are quite angry with.
For example, arguably, their biggest win was Diablo IV’s launch, which sold millions of units upon release and was praised by both fans and critics alike. However, rumors came out about future expansions for the game, and they stated that they might cost more than the many titles themselves! While these rumors haven’t been proven, they haven’t been debunked either just yet.
Additionally, a new title that was announced back in 2022 and had been in the works for about six years was revealed to have been canceled, with those working on it laid off. Not cool in the slightest.
The biggest “faux pas” of the company in recent years, however, is that of Overwatch 2. The sequel to one of the biggest games ever stumbled out of the gate and continues to trip over its own feet. Compared to the original, the sequel is pretty much an entirely different beast in the worst way, and the dev team have had to make serious concessions or straight-up cancelations to try and fix things.
That makes it all the more curious that they’re looking to make something new right now. Will it be something that reminds fans of the quality that Blizzard once had? Or will it be yet another attempt at a cash grab? Only time will time.
