Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard Entertainment is a developer and publisher.

Blizzard Entertainment Webpage, Facebook

Blizzard Entertainment, founded in 1991 as Silicon & Synapse, is an American video game developer and publisher for PC, console, and mobile platforms. Since 2008, Blizzard Entertainment has been part of the Activision Blizzard holding company. Its headquarters are located in Irvine, California. In January 2022, it was announced that Activision Blizzard would be acquired by Microsoft and, together with Xbox Game Studios, would become part of the Redmond-based company's new division, Microsoft Gaming. The deal finally went through in October 2023.

• Blizzard Entertainment as a game developer
• Blizzard Entertainment as a game publisher
• History
• Battle.net
• BlizzCon

Blizzard Entertainment as a game developer

During its early period, Blizzard Entertainment, originally known as Silicon & Synapse, gained recognition for producing platformers and arcade racing titles, including The Lost Vikings and Blackthorne. From the mid-1990s onward, Blizzard has devoted its efforts to major productions within three renowned franchises - Diablo, StarCraft, and WarCraft - including the successful MMORPG World of Warcraft and the card game Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. The only game outside these universes is the shooter Overwatch, which was released in 2016.

Blizzard Entertainment doesn't stick to a single genre, producing hits in real-time strategy, RPGs, MMORPGs, card games, MOBAs, and first-person shooters. Since the release of World of Warcraft, the company has gained a reputation for being relatively slow in development, yet remarkably meticulous. Aside from numerous expansions to existing titles, subsequent major Blizzard releases are relatively infrequent, and they are often delayed multiple times due to a desire to perfect every aspect of gameplay. For the same reason, existing titles receive long-term support, with patches and updates continuing to be released even years after the initial launch.

Blizzard Entertainment as a game publisher

The initial games developed by Silicon & Synapse, and later Blizzard Entertainment, were published by Interplay Entertainment. Since the mid-1990s, however, Blizzard has been the primary publisher of all its games - first in the United States, and now worldwide. In the early 21st century, the company regained the rights to its classic games from Interplay, which was nearing bankruptcy, allowing the titles to be added to its publishing portfolio.

History

Beginnings and Warcraft

Blizzard Entertainment traces its origins to February 1991, when three recent college graduates - Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce - founded Silicon & Synapse in Irvine, California. In its early years, the studio concentrated on porting other developers' games, such as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I and two Battle Chess titles. Between 1991 and 1993, Silicon & Synapse developed its first standalone titles: RPM Racing, Rock 'N Roll Racing, and the popular platformer The Lost Vikings, all of which were published by Interplay Entertainment. Around 1993-1994, Silicon & Synapse was acquired by the distribution company Davidson & Associates for $6.75 million and was renamed Chaos Studios. When they realized the old name was already taken, they officially became Blizzard Entertainment in May 1994 - and that's the name they still use today.

In late 1994, Blizzard Entertainment launched its first two productions in cooperation with Interplay. These were Blackthorne and the RTS WarCraft: Orcs and Humans, which turned out to be the studio's first big hit and started one of its key franchises. Released a year later, WarCraft II: Tides of Darkness received an official expansion, Beyond the Dark Portal (1996), and an upgraded Battle.net Edition (1999), and went on to become one of the most iconic and best-selling games ever. Over the years, the company experienced several changes in ownership. In 1996, Davidson & Associates, together with Sierra Entertainment, was acquired by CUC International, which merged with HFS Corporation a year later to form Cendant. In 1998, after the corporation's financial mismanagement was revealed, Blizzard and Sierra were sold to the French publisher Havas, which was acquired later that same year by the American company Vivendi Games.

Diablo and StarCraft

In 1996, amid ongoing corporate changes, Blizzard Entertainment acquired Condor Games, which became Blizzard North in San Mateo, California, and began work on a completely new IP. This project became the action RPG Diablo, which was released at the end of the year. Like WarCraft, it quickly became a cult classic, launching the second major franchise in Blizzard's portfolio. At the same time, Blizzard launched Battle.net, a multiplayer online platform that later became the company's digital distribution center for its games, which continues to be actively updated. A year later, the studio revisited one of its early titles with the release of its sequel, Norse By Norse West: The Return of the Lost Vikings (also known as The Lost Vikings 2). This, however, did not mean Blizzard developers rested on their laurels. The following year saw the release of another new - and highly successful - franchise: the real-time space strategy game StarCraft, which was largely based on the mechanics of the WarCraft series but set in a science fiction universe.

In 2002, Blizzard Entertainment regained the rights to its earliest games developed under Silicon & Synapse - including Blackthorne, The Lost Vikings, and Rock 'N Roll Racing - from Interplay Entertainment. A year later, the studio released Game Boy Advance ports of these titles. Meanwhile, the company focused on developing its existing franchises, releasing Diablo II with the Lord of Destruction expansion and WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos with the Frozen Throne expansion. Both sequels outsold their predecessors, becoming Blizzard's next major hits.

World of Warcraft

In 2004, Blizzard released its first MMORPG, World of Warcraft. Based on the universe created for the WarCraft series, it debuted on the franchise's tenth anniversary. At a time when competition in the MMORPG market was still limited, and despite its relatively high subscription fees, World of Warcraft quickly gained massive popularity. It became a cultural phenomenon and one of the genre's defining titles, remaining actively developed and widely played for many years. At the height of its popularity in 2008, the game dominated about 62 percent of the paid MMORPG market and was included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most popular title in the genre in terms of subscriber numbers. In the same year, World of Warcraft brought Blizzard Entertainment a prestigious Technology & Engineering Emmy Award.

In 2004, Blizzard Entertainment opened its European branch in the suburbs of Paris, primarily responsible for supporting the World of Warcraft community in Europe. In May 2005, the company expanded its development capacity by acquiring Swingin' Ape Studios, a California-based team tasked with creating a third-person action game set in the StarCraft universe. However, the game, titled StarCraft: Ghost, was never released. That same year, Blizzard announced the merger of Blizzard North with its parent studio, bringing the development teams together under one roof at new, larger headquarters in Irvine, California. From 2006 to 2010, Blizzard worked heavily on the World of Warcraft franchise, releasing three big expansions. Meanwhile, following the merger of Vivendi Games and Activision, the holding company Activision Blizzard was created, with Blizzard Entertainment becoming a key part of the group while retaining a significant degree of independence. In 2009, version 2.0 of Battle.net was released, featuring a number of new enhancements. Shortly after, all World of Warcraft accounts got moved over to Battle.net.

Hearthstone and Overwatch

Despite the enduring popularity of its MMORPG, the studio had no intention of abandoning its earlier franchises and returned in 2010 with another major release, StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Interestingly, the full-fledged StarCraft sequel was divided into three complementary installments, with the remaining two released in 2013 and 2015. In 2012, Diablo III debuted, becoming the first Blizzard game since 2000 - and since StarCraft 64 on the Nintendo 64 - to also be released on consoles. Between 2012 and 2014, two additional expansions for World of Warcraft were released, along with a Diablo III expansion titled Reaper of Souls. A remastered version of Diablo III was also prepared for eighth-generation consoles. In 2014, another game set in the WarCraft universe, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, was released. It was Blizzard Entertainment's first card game, the first of its titles to adopt a free-to-play model, and the first Blizzard game developed for mobile devices.

In the following years, Blizzard Entertainment focused on additional content for Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft, while continuing development of the MMORPG World of Warcraft and the StarCraft II sequel. In 2015, Blizzard released Heroes of the Storm, which began as a StarCraft II mod and was the studio's response to the growing popularity of the MOBA genre (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). The game featured heroes from all three Blizzard universes, as well as the classic platformer The Lost Vikings. In May 2016, Blizzard Entertainment unveiled its first entirely new IP in over a decade: the online first-person shooter Overwatch. A month later, the film Warcraft: Origins, directed by Duncan Jones, was released. It is an epic fantasy story set in the world of Blizzard's iconic franchise.

In 2016, Overwatch launched on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, rapidly achieving strong sales. Three and a half years later, the title was also released on the Nintendo Switch. In the following years, Blizzard Entertainment focused on developing both this project and its other franchises, resulting in numerous expansions for Hearthstone, add-ons for World of Warcraft, and a second expansion for Diablo III.

Back in the day...

Beginning in 2017, Blizzard Entertainment began regularly reminding players of its greatest hits. The trend started with the launch of a remastered edition of the original StarCraft. StarCraft: Remastered, which debuted on PC in August 2017, received widespread recognition and interest. After two years, Blizzard responded to the requests of dedicated World of Warcraft players by launching World of Warcraft Classic, a version of the MMORPG that restored the game's world and mechanics to their original state.

In January 2020, Warcraft III: Reforged became available for purchase. Despite initial previews suggesting otherwise, the release delivered only a basic remaster of the RTS, not a full overhaul of the classic, though aging, game. To make matters worse, many of the features announced by the developers were absent, and the studio also claimed full ownership of player-created mods. Ultimately, the game achieved exceptionally low user ratings on Metacritic and received only moderate critical reception.

At BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard Entertainment revealed Diablo Immortal, a mobile spin-off of the Diablo franchise created in partnership with the Chinese developer NetEase. Fans eagerly awaiting news about the fourth installment in the series were furious. The studio managed to ease the PR crisis a year later by unveiling the long-awaited Diablo IV. While the project leaned on the foundation of the second installment, it brought in a number of major updates. The game was planned for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One - just like Overwatch 2, revealed that same day.

In January 2021, Vicarious Visions, a studio known for reviving iconic titles from the past, officially joined Blizzard Entertainment. It became clear to players the next month, when the company revealed Diablo II: Resurrected. The remastered version of the bestselling hack-and-slash launched on PC and consoles in September 2021, earning praise from reviewers. Players, however, mostly complained about server issues. Nevertheless, the title was far more successful than the infamous Warcraft III: Reforged.

Fire extinguishing

Meanwhile, in July 2021, Blizzard's situation shifted once again. It was then revealed that female Activision Blizzard employees had repeatedly experienced sexual harassment, bullying, and unequal treatment, and that their complaints had been largely ignored. In response, Blizzard Entertainment CEO J. Allen Brack promptly issued a statement expressing solidarity with the victims; however, he resigned in early August. He was succeeded by Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra. Before Brack left, employees held a strike outside Blizzard's Irvine headquarters. Adding to the company's troubles, an early August report showed that Blizzard had lost almost half of its active players over the past four years.

Following the allegations and lawsuits, Blizzard Entertainment and its parent company enacted several changes. First, the Overwatch character McCree, named after Jesse McCree who was dismissed for unprofessional conduct, was set to receive a new name. Later on, Blizzard decided to remove the names of selected studio employees associated with the scandal from World of Warcraft. Subsequently, Luis Barriga, director of Diablo IV, Jonathan LeCraft, senior designer of World of Warcraft, and Chacko Sonny, executive producer of Overwatch 2, departed from their roles. The latter, however, was said to have no connection to the scandal and was, on the contrary, well-regarded by staff. By late September, it became known that references to Jeff Kaplan, the former series director, would be removed from Overwatch 2. In early October, Blizzard announced that it would censor certain jokes and flirtations in World of Warcraft, as they were deemed inappropriate under the company's new policy. Also in October, it was revealed that Diablo IV had gained a new director. The position was taken over by Joe Shely, formerly a co-creator of World of Warcraft and senior game designer for Diablo III. In November, it was announced that Jen Oneal was leaving, and Mike Ybarra would serve as the sole director.

Moving under Microsoft's wing

On January 18th, 2022, Microsoft announced it would acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Once the deal was completed in 2023, Activision Blizzard would work alongside Xbox Game Studios within a new division named Microsoft Gaming. Soon after, Blizzard revealed that it had been working on a survival game in an entirely new universe since 2017.

Meanwhile, Diablo Immortal launched on mobile devices in June 2022. Shortly before release, the developers revealed that the game would eventually be available on PC. While players criticized the aggressive monetization and the game was review-bombed, resulting in Blizzard's lowest Metacritic score, it still sold extremely well. Late in July, the developers reported that the game had achieved over 30 million downloads and earned $100 million from microtransactions. The project also had the surprising effect of bringing new players to the Diablo franchise; according to the publisher, half of all players were experiencing the series for the first time with Diablo Immortal.

Furthermore, in June 2022, Blizzard Entertainment announced the acquisition of Proletariat. The developers of Spellbreak were tasked with assisting the new parent company in the development of World of Warcraft. In November 2022, it was announced that Blizzard Entertainment and NetEase were ending their partnership of nearly 14 years. When the companies could not agree on contract renewals, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, StarCraft, Diablo III, and Warcraft III: Reforged were slated to end operations in China in January 2023. Diablo Immortal remained unaffected, being governed by a different agreement. Blizzard Entertainment has not ruled out a return to China, but it must first identify an alternative to its partnership with NetEase.

Diablo IV debuted on PC and eighth- and ninth-generation consoles in early June 2023. The title garnered favorable reception from industry media, achieving average Metacritic scores of 87-91/100, varying by platform. Although the game's launch was rocky because it needed a constant server connection, it became the developer's fastest-selling title ever. Soon after, the title was reported to have earned $666 million in its first five days, breaking previous records.

The Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger ended up taking longer than expected. The delay was partly caused by concerns expressed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). However, after certain concessions were made, the authorities finally granted approval. On October 13th, 2023, the company officially became part of Microsoft.

The change was noticeable at November's BlizzCon, with Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, making his debut appearance. At the event, Blizzard revealed previously unknown details, highlighting the future of Diablo IV and World of Warcraft. It was announced that the former game will get a major expansion, Vessel of Hatred, whereas the latter is slated to receive three expansions: The War Within, Midnight, and The Last Titan.

In early 2024, Microsoft laid off about 1,900 employees in its Gaming division. In January 2024, both Mike Ybarra, Blizzard's president, and Allen Adham, co-founder and chief design officer, stepped down from their roles. Shortly after, Johanna Faries, previously CEO of the Call of Duty series, was officially appointed president of Blizzard Entertainment. Around the same time, Blizzard's survival game was canceled, and some of the developers were shifted to other exciting projects at the studio.

In April, we found out there wouldn't be a BlizzCon in 2024. Even though the company said the event could return someday, it chose another way to share news about upcoming projects. One of the planned initiatives involves participating in Gamescom 2024 and other live-streamed industry "events".

Battle.net

On November 30th, 1996, Blizzard launched its online platform, the first service of its kind, to enable multiplayer gameplay in Diablo. Battle.net started with just a few basic features - playlists and chat - but gradually added new functionalities as StarCraft, WarCraft II, Diablo II, and WarCraft III joined the platform. Over time, it served as a distribution center for Blizzard games, enabling players to buy digital editions and register their legally obtained physical copies.

Battle.net 2.0 was launched on March 20th, 2009. In contrast to its predecessor, Battle.net Classic, it offered a redesigned interface and several brand-new features. The first big change was that players could merge accounts from past Blizzard games, which included migrating World of Warcraft accounts. The platform also brought better matchmaking, a new chat system, a place to trade custom maps online, and achievements that hadn't been available before. Back in 2010, Battle.net became part of Facebook's social networking platform.

Currently, the platform supports all Blizzard classics and newer releases, such as StarCraft II, Diablo III, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch, along with certain Activision-published games, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII, and Destiny 2 during 2017–2019.

BlizzCon

Since 2005, Blizzard Entertainment has organized this recurring conference for gamers and journalists to promote its video games. BlizzCon has been held nearly every year since its inception, with the exceptions of 2006, 2012, and 2024, typically at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. Those who purchase a ticket to the event, priced at $100–$200, have the opportunity to be among the first to see announced Blizzard games, try out playable demos, and participate in numerous panels and developer meet-and-greets. BlizzCon also features contests, goodie bags, and live performances from well-known artists, including The Offspring, Tenacious D, Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne, Blink-182, Metallica, and Linkin Park.

Blizzard Worldwide International, a sister event to BlizzCon, took place outside the United States between 2004 and 2008. However, in 2009, it was merged with BlizzCon.