Monthly Archives: August 2021

The Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Could Be a Death Blow for World of Warcraft

World of Warcraft is struggling.

For how long, exactly, is up for debate, but for the past couple of years, at least, player morale has been a downward trend. And while a few weeks ago this could have been a story about the ascendance of WoW’s rivals — most notably Final Fantasy 14 — the story has lately taken a sharp turn in the wake of the bombshell lawsuit against Activision Blizzard.

Now some of WoW’s biggest content creators say they’re leaving the game for good.

“It’s been nauseating to learn of all that’s been allowed to go on at Activision Blizzard,” Zepla said in an email to IGN. “I feel betrayed. World of Warcraft was all I cared about from 2004 until 2015. I was obsessed with, in love with the game — I mourned when members of the cherished “Old Guard” left the company.”

With over 200,000 subscribers, Zepla is one of the largest Final Fantasy 14 content creators on YouTube. And though she primarily produces Final Fantasy 14 videos, her channel has been one of the biggest resources for new players looking to make the change from WoW. And Zepla’s early WoW fandom allows them to help players make the transition.

Even before the lawsuit scandal broke, World of Warcraft was already in the news. Several high-profile streamers and YouTubers who primarily focused on World of Warcraft content were trying out Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn for the first time.

“It’s been nauseating to learn of all that’s been allowed to go on at Activision Blizzard.”

This led to talk about a “WoW Exodus.” After a history of unpopular gameplay changes and strange story decisions, longtime players were fed up and seeking different games to play. And while Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida downplayed any rivalry, the fact that many of WoW’s top streamers were defecting to Square Enix’s MMORPG was a big deal.

Unlike WoW, Final Fantasy 14 began from a place of relative disarray, but year after year has improved with new, beloved expansions. One of Final Fantasy 14’s biggest advantages over WoW is its relative flexibility, allowing players to play as much or little as they want without punishing them for the lack of grinding. In fact, this philosophy is sometimes a criticism from FF 14 players who want more hardcore content.

In contrast, WoW has spent the last couple of years complicating its base systems like items, making players feel like they have to do more work for even the most basic endgame rewards. And most players agree that WoW has hit something of a storytelling drought.

But it’s one thing for WoW to be losing players over differences in game design philosophy. On July 21, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for repeatedly discriminating against female employees and fostering a workplace where sexual harassment went unpunished.

Since the lawsuit, stories have emerged about exactly how bad working for Blizzard was for women and women of color. While the lawsuit lays out examples of extreme pay disparity between male and female employees, and lack of upward mobility, investigative reports have shed light on an insidious workplace culture.

Senior Blizzard developers known within the community like Alex Afraisabi were directly implicated in stories about making aggressive, unwanted advances toward female employees, or hosting drinking parties during BlizzCon in private hotel suites the developers themselves nicknamed “The Cosby Suite” after comedian and convicted rapist Bill Cosby.

These reports confirmed to some streamers and creators that maybe now is the time to leave WoW behind for good. Several creators IGN originally spoke to followed up with new responses regarding their relationship with World of Warcraft, a game some have loved since it launched in 2004.

Zepla says developers like Afraisabi were like heroes to them. “To learn that they may have been guilty or complicit in the abuse of women… It’s been difficult to process. I feel like a fool for believing I ever knew then. And when I think back on my affection for them, it turns my stomach.”

While Zepla has made FF 14 their primary focus years ago, WoW content creators who’ve only recently dabbled with the Square Enix MMORPG face a difficult dilemma on whether they can continue to support a game made under conditions they fundamentally disagree with.

Twitch streamer Quazii, who was already experimenting with Final Fantasy 14 after spending over a decade playing WoW, hosted a farewell stream at the beginning of August where he deleted every one of his Warcraft characters.

“As a company, they use that passion to underpay employees and lowball contracted content creators, especially women.”

In a stream titled, “The Last WoW Stream? THE LAST ONE FOR THE ROAD. It’s been 10 great years,’ Quazii talked through his decision to quit WoW. While he spent time talking about the gameplay and creative decisions that were already unpopular with lots of longtime WoW players, Quazii tells IGN that the recent lawsuit helped solidify a decision he was already flirting with.

“I am really disappointed with the recent developments,” Quazii says in a statement. “And it has led me to decide to part with the franchise, a franchise that has given me so many memories. Deleting my characters is symbolic, and yes, I know I can restore them — but it’s an act that gives me closure. And I am looking to move on to happier things here.”

The decision to quit making videos around WoW isn’t an easy one. The devotion Blizzard cultivates around its games extends to employees and players alike. And for over ten years WoW was a cornerstone of that devotion.

“The thing is, I haven’t just been a long-time WoW player — I’ve been a fan of the companies since the Lost Vikings days,” says YouTuber Jesse Cox. “Blizzard games have been a consistent part of my life and I’ve played every single one of them. There are very few developers I can say that about.”

Cox says that Blizzard games are more than just entertainment. His early YouTube career began because of his Warcraft videos and he has made numerous friends around this shared passion, including Blizzard employees.

But Cox also says that this passion can be taken advantage of. Cox says he’s seen first-hand as a content-creator the way Blizzard utilized this passion for abuse. “As a company, they use that passion to underpay employees and lowball contracted content creators, especially women,” Cox says. “I’ve had numerous conversations with female friends over the years about their unfair treatment and how they’ve felt stuck in impossible situations.”

A coalition of Activision Blizzard employees has put out a public list of demands they’d like from company leaders in hopes of building a better workplace. Although CEO Bobby Kotick issued a statement promising to address these issues, employees say they are unsatisfied with the steps taken so far and that Kotick’s statement did not go far enough. Employees at Blizzard also staged a walkout in protest.

It remains to be seen whether WoW will regain the trust of its players, but it’s clear now that the game’s goodwill is no longer tied to just gameplay improvements but meaningful changes to the company’s culture as well.

Meanwhile, Cox says he has chosen to not play Blizzard games anymore until the employees are properly heard.

“Fans love these games and have a hard time saying goodbye to something that’s been such an important part of their lives for so long. But I think moments like this we have to make a choice and take a stand for something we believe in,” Cox says.

“It’s why I’ve chosen to no longer play Blizzard games until the employees — be they my friends or total strangers — are actually listened to and properly heard.”

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

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