Editing Blizzard Entertainment (section)

== History ==
=== Founding (1991–1994) ===
[[File:Mike_Morhaime_BlizzCon_2007.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Blizzard co-founder and former CEO [[Mike Morhaime]]]]
Blizzard Entertainment was founded by [[Michael Morhaime]], Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce as Silicon & Synapse in February 1991, after all three had earned their [[bachelor's degree]]s from the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] the year prior.<ref name="UCLAHonorDinner2006_11_06">{{cite web |url=https://samueli.ucla.edu/newsroom/featured-news/archive/2006/november/ucla-engineering-celebrates-accomplishments-at-annual-awards-dinner |title=UCLA Engineering Celebrates Accomplishments at Annual Awards Dinner |publisher=UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science |date=November 6, 2006 |access-date=September 22, 2007 |author=M. Abraham |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716201249/http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/newsroom/featured-news/archive/2006/november/ucla-engineering-celebrates-accomplishments-at-annual-awards-dinner |archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref><ref name="GameSpy" /> The name "Silicon & Synapse" was a high concept from the three founders, with "silicon" representing the building block of a computer, while "synapse" the building block of the brain.<ref name="pcgamer naming"/> The initial logo was created by Stu Rose.<ref name="GameSpy">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p9.html |title=GameSpy Retro: Developer Origins, Page 9 of 19 |first=John |last=Keefer |date=March 31, 2006 |website=[[GameSpy]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070609133006/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/697/697083p9.html |archive-date=June 9, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> To fund the company, each of them contributed about $10,000, Morhaime borrowing the sum interest-free from his grandmother.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/mike-morhaime-founded-blizzard-thanks-to-a-15000-loan-from-his-grandmother/ |title=Mike Morhaime founded Blizzard thanks to a $15,000 loan from his grandmother |first=Bo |last=Moore |date=September 13, 2017 |access-date=September 13, 2017 |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170914034844/http://www.pcgamer.com/mike-morhaime-founded-blizzard-thanks-to-a-15000-loan-from-his-grandmother/ |archive-date=September 14, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> Their offices were established in a business park near the [[University of California, Irvine]] in [[Irvine, California]].<ref>Schreier, 2024, Chapter 9: Everquest, but Better</ref>

During the first two years, the company focused on creating game [[porting|ports]] for other studios. [[Interplay Productions]]' [[Brian Fargo]] was friends with Adham and had a 10% stake in Silicon & Synapse. Fargo provided the company with conversion contacts for the games Interplay was publishing, starting with ''[[Battle Chess]]''.<ref name="schreier play fair chap1">Schreier, 2024, Chapter 1</ref> Other titles included Ports include titles such as ''[[J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I (1990 video game)|J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I]]'' and ''Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess''.<ref name="blizz_tline">{{cite web |url=https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/blizz-anniversary/timeline.shtml |title=Blizzard Timeline |publisher=Blizzard Entertainment |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010215105033/http://www.blizzard.com/blizz-anniversary/timeline.shtml |archive-date=February 15, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/blizzard-entertainment-inc/ported-by/list-games/ |title=Ported by Blizzard Entertainment Inc. |publisher=Mobygames |access-date=March 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228220612/http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/blizzard-entertainment-inc/ported-by/list-games/ |archive-date=February 28, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Fargo then enlisted Silicon & Synapse around 1991 to help develop ''[[RPM Racing]]'' that Interplay was preparing for the launch of the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]. Fargo remained impressed with Silicon & Synapse's work, and provided them the ability to write their own games to be published by Interplay. The first two titles developed solely by the company were ''[[Rock n' Roll Racing]]'', a sequel to ''RPM Racing'',  and ''[[The Lost Vikings]]'' inspired by ''[[Lemmings (video game)|Lemmings]]''.<ref name="schreier play fair chap1"/>

Around 1993, co-founder Adham told the other executives that he did not like the name "Silicon & Synapse" anymore, as outsiders were confusing the [[Chemical element|element]] [[silicon]] used in [[Integrated circuit|microchips]] with [[silicone]] [[polymer]] of [[Breast implant|breast implants]]. By the end of 1993, Adham changed the name to "Chaos Studios," reflecting on the haphazardness of their development processes.<ref name="pcgamer naming">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/how-blizzard-got-its-name/ | title = How Blizzard got its name | first = Tom | last = Marks | date = December 7, 2016 | access-date = December 11, 2019 | magazine = [[PC Gamer]] | archive-date = December 11, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191211231450/https://www.pcgamer.com/how-blizzard-got-its-name/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

Near this same time, the company started to explore options in publishing their own games, as their conversion contracts were not as lucrative for the company. Inspired by the multiplayer aspects of [[Westwood Studios]]' ''[[Dune II]]'' and the [[high fantasy]] setting of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', the company began work on what would become ''[[Warcraft: Orcs & Humans]]''. Adham saw this as a start of a series of interconnected titles, similar to the ''[[Gold Box]]'' series by ''[[Strategic Simulations]]''. To support its development and keep the company afloat, the studio took several more conversion contracts, though the founders were going into debt to keep their twelve developers employed.<ref name="schreier play fair chap1"/> [[Davidson & Associates]], a company that published educational software and which had previously employed Silicon & Synapse for conversion contracts, made an offer to buy the company for $4&nbsp;million. Interplay was negotiating to be the publisher for ''Warcraft'', and Fargo cautioned Adham and Morhaime against selling the company. Adham and Morhiame rejected Davidson & Associates' initial offer, but the company came back with another offer of $6.75&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|6.75|1994|r=1|fmt=c}} million in {{Inflation/year|US}}), assuring to the founders that they would have creative control over the games they developed.<ref name="schreier play fair chap2">Schreier, 2024, Chapter 2</ref> Adham and Morhaime accepted the offer in early 1994.<ref>{{cite news | first = Dean | last = Takahashi | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-13-fi-33584-story.html | title = Co-founder Looks at Chaos in Early Stages and Future Challenges | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | date = March 13, 1994 | accessdate = October 20, 2024 }}</ref> 

Shortly after the sale, they were contacted by a Florida company, Chaos Technologies, who claims their trademark rights on the name "Chaos" and wanted the company to pay {{USD|100,000}} ({{Inflation|US|100000|1994|fmt=eq}}) to keep the name.<ref>Dean Takahashi: ''[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-24-fi-61596-story.html Briefcase: Technology.] '' In: Los Angeles Times, May 24, 1994.</ref> Not wanting to pay that sum, the executives decided to change the studio's name to "Ogre Studios" by April 1994.<ref name="pcgamer naming"/> However, Davidson & Associates did not like this name, and forced the company to change it. According to Morhaime, Adham began running through a dictionary from the start, writing down any word that seemed interesting and passing it to the legal department to see if it had any complications. One of the first words they found to be interesting and cleared the legal check was "blizzard", leading them to change their name to "Blizzard Entertainment" by May 1994.<ref name="pcgamer naming"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-24-fi-61596-story.html | title = Briefcase: Technology | first= Dean | last= Takahashi | date = May 24, 1994 | access-date = December 11, 2019 | work =[[Los Angeles Times]] | url-status = live | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629025604/http://articles.latimes.com/print/1994-05-24/business/fi-61596_1_chaos-studios | archive-date=June 29, 2012}}</ref> ''Warcraft'' was released in November 1994, and within a year, helped to establish Blizzard among other development studios like Westwood.<ref name="schreier play fair chap2"/>

=== Acquisition by Vivendi and ''World of Warcraft'' (1995–2007) ===
Blizzard Entertainment has changed hands several times since then. Davidson was acquired along with [[Sierra Entertainment|Sierra On-Line]] by a company called [[CUC International]] in 1996. CUC then merged with a hotel, real-estate, and car-rental franchiser called [[HFS Corporation]] to form [[Cendant]] in 1997. In 1998 it became apparent that CUC had engaged in accounting fraud for years before the merger. Cendant's stock lost 80% of its value over the next six months in the ensuing widely discussed accounting scandal. The company sold its consumer software operations, Sierra On-line (which included Blizzard) to French publisher [[Havas]] in 1998, the same year Havas was purchased by [[Vivendi]].<ref name="vice fall">{{cite web| url = https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3vem8/inside-story-sierra-online-death-cuc-cendant-fraud| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3vem8/inside-story-sierra-online-death-cuc-cendant-fraud| archive-date=2021-09-28 | title = How Sierra Was Captured, Then Killed, by a Massive Accounting Fraud | first= Duncan | last = Fyfe | date = October 29, 2020 | access-date = October 30, 2020 | work = [[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Blizzard, at this point numbering about 200 employees, became part of the [[Vivendi Games]] group of Vivendi.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2018/10/03/blizzards-mike-morhaime-leaves-a-legacy-of-quality-and-kindness-for-the-video-game-industry/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://venturebeat.com/2018/10/03/blizzards-mike-morhaime-leaves-a-legacy-of-quality-and-kindness-for-the-video-game-industry/| archive-date=2021-09-28 | title = Blizzard's Mike Morhaime leaves a legacy of quality and kindness for the video game industry | first = Dean | last = Takahashi | date = October 3, 2018 | access-date = August 17, 2021 | work = [[Venture Beat]] }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

{{anchor|Blizzard South}}
In 1996, Blizzard Entertainment acquired Condor Games of [[San Mateo, California]], which had been working on the [[action role-playing game]] (ARPG) ''[[Diablo (video game)|Diablo]]'' for Blizzard at the time, and was led by [[David Brevik]] and brothers Max and Erick Schaefer. Condor was renamed [[Blizzard North]], with Blizzard's existing Irvine studios colloquially referred as Blizzard South.<ref name="ns merge">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/blizzard-merges-blizzard-north-into-blizzard-south | title = Blizzard Merges Blizzard North Into Blizzard South | first = Nich | last = Maragos | date = August 1, 2005 | access-date = December 11, 2019 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = December 11, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191211205728/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/97046/Blizzard_Merges_Blizzard_North_Into_Blizzard_South.php | url-status = live }}</ref> ''Diablo'' was released at the very start of 1997 alongside [[Battle.net]], a matchmaking service for the game. Blizzard North developed the sequel ''[[Diablo II]]'' (2000), and its expansion pack ''[[Diablo II: Lord of Destruction|Lord of Destruction]]'' (2001). 

Following the success of ''[[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]]'', Blizzard began development on a science fiction-themed RTS, ''[[StarCraft (video game)|StarCraft]]'', and released the title in March 1998. The title was the top-selling PC game for the year,<ref name="1998sales">{{cite web|title=StarCraft Named No. 1 Seller in 1998 |website=IGN |date=January 20, 1999 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/01/21/starcraft-named-1-seller-in-1998 |access-date=February 16, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303025909/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/01/21/starcraft-named-1-seller-in-1998 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 }}</ref> and led to further growth of the Battle.net service and the use of the game for [[esport]]s.<ref name="polygon ghost"/> Around 2000, Blizzard engaged with [[Nihilistic Software]] to work on a version of ''StarCraft'' for home consoles for Blizzard. Nihilisitic was co-founded by Robert Huebner, who had worked on ''StarCraft'' and other games while a Blizzard employee before leaving to found the studio. The game, ''[[StarCraft: Ghost]]'', was a [[stealth game|stealth-oriented game]] compared to the RTS features of ''StarCraft'', and was a major feature of the 2002 [[Tokyo Game Show]]. However, over the next few years, the game entered [[development hell]] with conflicts between Nihilisitic and Blizzard on its direction. Blizzard ordered Nihilistic to stop work on ''StarCraft: Ghost'' in July 2004, and instead brought on Swingin' Ape Studios, a third-party studio that had just successfully released ''[[Metal Arms: Glitch in the System]]'' in 2003, to reboot the development of ''Ghost''.<ref name="polygon ghost"/> Blizzard fully acquired Swingin' Ape Studios in May 2005 to continue on ''Ghost''. However, while the game was scheduled to be released in 2005, it was targeted at the consoles of the [[Sixth generation of video game consoles|sixth generation]], such as the [[PlayStation 2]] and original [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], while the industry was transitioning to the [[seventh generation of video game consoles|seventh generation]]. Blizzard decided to cancel ''Ghost'' rather than extend its development period to work on the newer consoles.<ref name="polygon ghost">{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2016/7/5/11819438/starcraft-ghost-what-went-wrong | title = StarCraft: Ghost – What Went Wrong | date = July 5, 2016 | access-date = December 12, 2019 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = May 17, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200517204111/https://www.polygon.com/2016/7/5/11819438/starcraft-ghost-what-went-wrong | url-status = live }}</ref>

Blizzard started to work on a sequel to the ''Warcraft II'' in early 1998, which was announced as a "role-playing strategy" game.<ref name="cdmag-firstlook">{{Cite web|last=Atkin|first=Denny|date=February 19, 2005|title=Warcraft III First Look|url=https://www.cdmag.com/articles/022/144/warcraft3_fl.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050219000752/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/022/144/warcraft3_fl.html|archive-date=February 19, 2005|access-date=July 15, 2018|website=CDMag.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bauman|first=Steve|date=September 10, 1999|title=Warcraft III Preview - Part 1|url=https://www.cdmag.com/articles/022/153/warcraft3_preview1.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050217190053/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/022/153/warcraft3_preview1.html|archive-date=February 17, 2005|access-date=July 15, 2018}}</ref> ''[[Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos]]'', the third title set in the ''Warcraft'' fictional universe, was released in July 2002.<ref>{{Cite web|title=WarCraft 3: Reign of Chaos: Test, Tipps, Videos, News, Release Termin - PCGames.de|url=https://www.pcgames.de/WarCraft-3-Reign-of-Chaos-Spiel-41725/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/http://www.pcgames.de/WarCraft-3-Reign-of-Chaos-Spiel-41725/| archive-date=2021-09-28|access-date=July 23, 2018|website=PC GAMES|language=de}}{{cbignore}}</ref> ''Warcraft III'' has inspired many future games, having the influence on [[real-time strategy]] and [[multiplayer online battle arena]] genre.<ref name="waypoint">{{Cite news|last=Zacny|first=Rob|date=March 7, 2018|title=The Monstrous Timelessness of Warcraft 3|language=en-us|work=Waypoint|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-monstrous-timelessness-of-warcraft-3/|url-status=live|access-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313174936/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/xw59a3/the-monstrous-timelessness-of-warcraft-3|archive-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Staff|first=Ars|date=January 27, 2020|title=How Warcraft III birthed a genre, changed a franchise, and earned a Reforge-ing|url=https://arstechnica.com/features/2020/01/how-warcraft-iii-birthed-a-genre-changed-a-franchise-and-earned-a-reforge-ing/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://arstechnica.com/features/2020/01/how-warcraft-iii-birthed-a-genre-changed-a-franchise-and-earned-a-reforge-ing/| archive-date=2021-09-28|access-date=February 9, 2021|website=Ars Technica|language=en-us}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Many of the characters, locations and concepts introduced in ''Warcraft III'' and [[Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne|its expansion]] went on to play major roles in numerous future Blizzard's titles.<ref name="waypoint" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Heroes Of The Storm Proves That A New Warcraft Strategy Game Could Work|url=https://kotaku.com/heroes-of-the-storm-is-proof-a-new-warcraft-strategy-ga-1714960298| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://kotaku.com/heroes-of-the-storm-is-proof-a-new-warcraft-strategy-ga-1714960298| archive-date=2021-09-28|access-date=September 9, 2020|website=Kotaku|date=June 30, 2015 |language=en-us}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Hearthstone Cards and Heroes in Warcraft 3|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNBLVS7I0Rk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200614192214/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNBLVS7I0Rk&gl=US&hl=en|archive-date=June 14, 2020|access-date=October 6, 2020|website=YouTube| date=February 13, 2019 |url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>

In 2002, Blizzard was able to reacquire rights for three of its earlier Silicon & Synapse titles, ''[[The Lost Vikings]]'', ''[[Rock n' Roll Racing]]'' and ''[[Blackthorne]]'', from [[Interplay Entertainment]] and re-release them for the [[Game Boy Advance]] handheld console.<ref>{{cite interview |url=https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/us/insider/011/lostvikings.html |title=The Making of The Lost Vikings |date=November 22, 2002 |access-date=June 23, 2007 |last=Morhaime |first=Mike |interviewer=Blizzard Insider |work=Blizzard Insider |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030211022815/http://www.blizzard.com/insider/011/lostvikings.shtml |archive-date=February 11, 2003}}</ref>

Around 2003, Blizzard North was working on ''[[Diablo III]]'' as well as planned science-fiction-based version dubbed ''Starblo''. Amid rumors that Vivendi was looking to sell its gaming division around 2003, Blizzard North's leadership, consisting of Brevik, the Schaefers, and [[Bill Roper (video game producer)|Bill Roper]], asked Blizzard to provide their studio protections from the potential sale, or else they would resign. After several rounds of tense communications, the four gave their resignations to Blizzard's management on June 30, 2003. As part of this, a significant portion of Blizzard North's staff were laid off, additional work on ''Starblo'' was terminated and the remaining team focused ''Diablo III''.<ref name="play nice chap6">Schreier, 2024, Chapter 6: Resignations Accepted</ref> Blizzard's management made the decision August 2005 to [[Consolidation (business)|consolidate]] Blizzard North into Blizzard Entertainment, relocating staff to the main Blizzard offices in Irvine.<ref name="ns merge"/>

In 2004, Blizzard opened European offices in the Paris suburb of [[Vélizy-Villacoublay|Vélizy]], Yvelines, France.

Blizzard began work on ''[[World of Warcraft]]'' near the end of 1999, a [[massively multiplayer online role-playing game]] (MMORPG) based on the ''Warcraft'' franchise, with gameplay inspired by ''[[EverQuest]]''. The game was publicly announced in September 2001.<ref name="play nice chap9" /> The excitement by the media for ''World of Warcraft'' led to significant growth with Team 2 from forty to the hundreds, as well as a large amount of crunch development to complete the game. In January 2004, Adham announced he was leaving the company from being burnt out over his work on ''World of Warcraft'', transferring management to Morhaime.<ref name="play nice chap9" /> ''World of Warcraft'' was released on November 23, 2004, in North America, and on February 11, 2005, in Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.games-fusion.net/press/content/blizzard_entertainment_announc.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103122615/http://www.games-fusion.net/press/content/blizzard_entertainment_announc.php |archive-date=November 3, 2007 |title=Blizzard Entertainment announces World of Warcraft}}</ref> By December 2004, the game was the fastest-selling PC game in the United States, and by March 2005, had reached 1.5 million subscribers worldwide.<ref name="gamasutra wow timeline">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/128323/Seven_Years_Of_World_Of_Warcraft.php | title = Seven Years Of World Of Warcraft | first = Tom | last = Curtis | date = November 23, 2011 | access-date = December 12, 2019 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = December 12, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200634/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/128323/Seven_Years_Of_World_Of_Warcraft.php | url-status = dead }}</ref> Blizzard partnered with Chinese publisher [[The9]] to publish and distribute ''World of Warcraft'' in China, as foreign companies could not directly publish into the country themselves. ''World of Warcraft'' launched in China in June 2005.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2006/02/12/joystiq-interview-hoyt-ma-the9/ | title = Joystiq interview: Hoyt Ma, The9 | first = Jennie | last = Jees | date = February 12, 2006 | access-date = December 12, 2019 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = December 12, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191212154659/https://www.engadget.com/2006/02/12/joystiq-interview-hoyt-ma-the9/ | url-status = live }}</ref> By the end of 2007, ''World of Warcraft'' was considered a global phenomenon, having reached over 9 million subscribers<ref name="gamasutra wow timeline"/> and exceeded {{USD|1 billion}} in revenue since its release.<ref name="nytimes wow 2006">{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/05/technology/05wow.html | title = Online Game, Made in U.S., Seizes the Globe | first = Seth | last = Schiesel | date = September 5, 2006 | access-date = December 12, 2019 | work = [[The New York Times]] | archive-date = December 12, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200943/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/05/technology/05wow.html | url-status = live }}</ref> In April 2008, ''World of Warcraft'' was estimated to hold 62 percent of the MMORPG subscription market.<ref>{{cite web |title=MMOG Subscriptions Market Share April 2008 |publisher=mmogchart.com, [[Bruce Sterling Woodcock]] |url=http://www.mmogchart.com/Chart7.html |date=April 1, 2008 |access-date=September 24, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605194653/http://www.mmogchart.com/Chart7.html |archive-date=June 5, 2011}}</ref>

With the success of ''World of Warcraft'', Blizzard Entertainment organized the first [[BlizzCon]] fan convention in October 2005 held at the [[Anaheim Convention Center]]. The inaugural event drew about 6,000 people and became an annual event which Blizzard uses to announce new games, expansions, and content for its properties.<ref name="gamasutra wow timeline"/>

Blizzard's staff quadrupled from around 400 employees in 2004 to 1600 by 2006 to provide more resources to ''World of Warcraft'' and its various expansions.<ref name="nytimes wow 2006"/> To deal with its growing staff, Blizzard moved their headquarters from the [[University of California, Irvine|UCI]] Research Park campus to a newly constructed 240,000-square foot campus in Irvine that was formerly occupied by [[Broadcom]] and before that by [[AST Research]]; the former Research Park site was taken over by [[Linksys]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Register |first=Tamara Chuang {{!}} Orange County |date=2007-07-30 |title=Linksys taking over Blizzard’s turf and other building swaps… |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2007/07/30/linksys-taking-over-blizzards-turf-and-other-building-swaps/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}}</ref> Blizzard's new base was completed by March 2008; the city named the primary street on this campus as 1 Blizzard Way to honor the company.<ref name="schreier play nice chap13">Schreier, 2024, Chapter 13: Growing Pains</ref> The campus includes a twelve-foot tall bronze statue of a ''Warcraft'' orc riding a wolf, with plaques surrounding it representing the eight company values by that point, "Gameplay First", "Commit to Quality", "Play Nice; Play Fair", "Embrace Your Inner Geek", "Learn & Grow", "Every Voice Matters", "Think Globally", and "Lead Responsibly".<ref name="schreier play nice chap13"/>

=== Vivendi merger with Activision and continued growth (2008–2017) ===
Up through 2006, [[Bobby Kotick]], the CEO of [[Activision]], had been working to rebound the company from near-bankruptcy, and had established a number of new studios. However, Activision lacked anything in the MMO market. Kotick saw that ''World of Warcraft'' was bringing in over {{USD|1.1 billion}} a year in subscription fees, and began approaching Vivendi's CEO [[Jean-Bernard Lévy]] about potential acquisition of their struggling Vivendi Games division, which included Blizzard Entertainment. Lévy was open to a merger, but would only allow it if he controlled the majority of the combined company, knowing the value of ''World of Warcraft'' to Kotick.<ref name="forbes kotick"/> Among those Kotick spoke to for advice included Blizzard's Morhaime, who told Kotick that they had begun establishing lucrative in-roads into the [[Video gaming in China|Chinese market]]. Kotick accepted Lévy's deal, with the deal approved by shareholders in December 2007. By July 2008, the merger was complete, with Vivendi Games effectively dissolved except for Blizzard Entertainment, and the new company was named [[Activision Blizzard]].<ref name="forbes kotick">{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0202/052.html#788254c31a16 |title=Activision's Unlikely Hero |first=Peter |last=Beller |date=January 15, 2009 |access-date=February 12, 2019 |work=[[Forbes (magazine)|Forbes]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806105646/https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0202/052.html#788254c31a16 |archive-date=August 6, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Blizzard established a distribution agreement with the Chinese company [[NetEase]] in August 2008 to publish Blizzard's games in China. The deal focused on ''[[StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty|StarCraft II]]'' which was gaining popularity as an [[esport]] within southeast Asia, as well as for other Blizzard games with the exception of ''World of Warcraft'', still being handled by The9. The two companies established the Shanghai EaseNet Network Technology for managing the games within China.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2008/08/12/blizzard-cuts-deal-with-neteasecom-to-take-starcraft-2-to-china/ | title = Blizzard cuts deal with NetEase.com to take Starcraft II to China | first = Dean | last = Takahashi | date = August 12, 2008 | access-date = December 12, 2019 | work = [[Venture Beat]] | archive-date = December 12, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200319/https://venturebeat.com/2008/08/12/blizzard-cuts-deal-with-neteasecom-to-take-starcraft-2-to-china/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Blizzard and The9 prepared to launch the ''World of Warcraft'' expansion ''[[World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King|Wrath of the Lich King]]'', but the expansion came under scrutiny by China's content regulation board, the [[General Administration of Press and Publication]], which rejected publication of it within China in March 2009, even with preliminary modifications made by The9 to clear it. Rumors of Blizzard's dissatisfaction with The9 from this and other previous complications with ''World of Warcraft'' came to a head when, in April 2009, Blizzard announced it was terminating its contract with The9, and transferred operation of ''World of Warcraft'' in China to NetEase.<ref name="gamasutra wow timeline"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/114174/The9_Loses_China_World_Of_Warcraft_Deal_to_NetEase.php | title = The9 Loses China World Of Warcraft Deal to NetEase | first1 = Dave | last1 = Jenkins | first2 = Kris | last2 = Graft | date = April 16, 2009 | access-date = December 12, 2019 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = December 12, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191212154210/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/114174/The9_Loses_China_World_Of_Warcraft_Deal_to_NetEase.php | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/17/wow-archivist-wow-in-china-an-uncensored-history/ | title = WoW Archivist: WoW in China, an uncensored history | first = Scott | last = Andrews | date = January 17, 2014 | access-date = December 12, 2019 | work = [[Engadget]] | archive-date = November 5, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191105070436/https://www.engadget.com/2014/01/17/wow-archivist-wow-in-china-an-uncensored-history/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

They released an improved version of [[Battle.net]] (Battle.net 2.0) in March 2009 which included improved matchmaking, storefront features, and better support for all of Blizzard's existing titles particularly ''World of Warcraft''.<ref name="New B.net">{{cite web|date=August 21, 2009|title=Upcoming Blizzard Battle.Net Feature Draw From Warcraft, Xbox Live, Life – Blizzcon 09|url=https://kotaku.com/upcoming-blizzard-battle-net-feature-draw-from-warcraft-5342994|access-date=July 8, 2010|publisher=Kotaku.com|archive-date=April 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418185723/http://kotaku.com/5342994/upcoming-blizzard-battlenet-feature-draw-from-warcraft-xbox-live-life|url-status=live}}</ref>

Having peaked at 12 million monthly subscriptions in 2010, ''World of Warcraft'' subscriptions sunk to 6.8 million in 2014, the lowest number since the end of 2006, prior to ''[[World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade|The Burning Crusade]]'' expansion.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/276601/number-of-world-of-warcraft-subscribers-by-quarter/ |title=Number of World of Warcraft subscribers from 1st quarter 2005 to 3rd quarter 2014 |publisher=[[Statista]] |access-date=December 18, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217040907/http://www.statista.com/statistics/276601/number-of-world-of-warcraft-subscribers-by-quarter/ |archive-date=December 17, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://pulse2.com/world-of-warcraft-hits-12-million-subscribers/ |title=World of Warcraft Hits 12 Million Subscribers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110205121821/http://pulse2.com/2010/10/11/world-of-warcraft-hits-12-million-subscribers/ |archive-date=February 5, 2011 |date=October 11, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/world-of-warcraft-hits-the-12-million-subscribers-mark/ |title=World of Warcraft hits the 12-million-subscribers mark |author=Ryan Fleming |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210132612/http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/world-of-warcraft-hits-the-12-million-subscribers-mark/ |archive-date=December 10, 2010 |date=October 7, 2010}}</ref> However, ''World of Warcraft'' is still the world's most-subscribed MMORPG,<ref name="Wrath Release Date">{{cite web |title=World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Shatters Day-1 Sales Record |publisher=Blizzard Entertainment |url=https://www.cpugamer.com/news/wrath-of-the-lich-shatters-day-1-sales-record |date=November 20, 2008 |access-date=November 20, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708200826/http://www.cpugamer.com/news/wrath-of-the-lich-shatters-day-1-sales-record |archive-date=July 8, 2011}}</ref><ref name="mmogchart">"[http://www.mmogchart.com/Chart1.html MMOG Active Subscriptions 21.0] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701045444/http://www.mmogchart.com/Chart1.html |date=July 1, 2010 }}", MMOGCHART.COM, June 29, 2006.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://old.gigaom.com/2007/06/13/top-ten-most-popular-mmos/ |title=GigaOM Top 10 Most Popular MMOs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100701164346/http://gigaom.com/2007/06/13/top-ten-most-popular-mmos/ |archive-date=July 1, 2010 |date=June 13, 2007}}</ref> and holds the [[Guinness World Record]] for the most popular MMORPG by subscribers.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Glenday |first=Craig |title=Guinness World Records 2009 |editor=Craig Glenday |publisher=[[Random House]], Inc. |year=2009 |edition=paperback |page=241 |isbn=978-0-553-59256-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aHYt0RNSDfgC&q=most+popular+MMORPG&pg=PA269 |access-date=September 18, 2009 |quote=Most popular MMORPG game{{sic}} In terms of the number of online subscribers, ''World of Warcraft'' is the most popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG), with 10 million subscribers as of January 2008. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428064910/http://books.google.com/books?id=aHYt0RNSDfgC&pg=PA269 |archive-date=April 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/6081496/Video-Backstage-at-BlizzCon-2009.html |title=Video: Backstage at BlizzCon 2009:Thousands of World of Warcraft fans descend on southern California for Blizzard's epic gaming convention |last=Williams |first=Becky |date=August 24, 2009 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=UK |quote=Set in the fantasy world of Azeroth it currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG, which probably accounts for why Blizzard is the most bankable games publisher in the world. |access-date=September 18, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901184912/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/6081496/Video-Backstage-at-BlizzCon-2009.html |archive-date=September 1, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/e3/a158552/guinness-announces-gaming-world-records/ |title=Guinness announces gaming world records |last=Langshaw |first=Mark |date=June 6, 2009 |publisher=Digital Spy Limited |access-date=September 18, 2009 |quote=Blizzard's Mike Morhaime and Paul Sams were handed awards for World Of Warcraft and Starcraft, which won Most Popular MMORPG and Best Selling PC Strategy Game respectively. |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208162245/http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a158552/guinness-announces-gaming-world-records.html |archive-date=February 8, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |quote=World of Warcraft is the most popular MMORPG in the world with nearly 12 million subscribers around the world. |url=http://gamers.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/pc_gaming.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405020338/http://gamers.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/pc_gaming.aspx |archive-date=April 5, 2008 |title=Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition – Records – PC Gaming}}</ref> In 2008, Blizzard was honored at the 59th Annual [[Technology & Engineering Emmy Award]]s for the creation of ''World of Warcraft''. [[Mike Morhaime]] accepted the award.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://emmyonline.com/tech_59th_recipients |title=Winners of 59th Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards Announced by National Television Academy at Consumer Electronics Show |last=Hein |first=Angela |date=January 8, 2008 |website=The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences |access-date=February 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720225149/http://emmyonline.com/tech_59th_recipients |archive-date=July 20, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/14646/Mike-Morhaime/ |title=Mike Morhaime |website=The Centre for Computing History |access-date=February 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120403185736/http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/14646/Mike-Morhaime/ |archive-date=April 3, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the merger, Blizzard found it was relying on its well-established properties, but at the same time, the industry was experiencing a shift towards [[indie game]]s. Blizzard established a few small teams within the company to work on developing new concepts based on the indie development approach that it could potentially use. One of these teams quickly came onto the idea of a [[collectible card game]] based on the ''Warcraft'' narrative universe, which ultimately became ''[[Hearthstone]]'', released as a free-to-play title in March 2014.<ref name="guardian 2015">{{cite web | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/25/hearthstone-blizzard-strategy-trading-cards-greg-austin | title = Hearthstone: how a game developer turned 30m people into card geeks | work = [[The Guardian]] | first = Keith | last = Stewart | date = June 25, 2015 | access-date = April 22, 2016 | archive-date = June 3, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160603015931/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/25/hearthstone-blizzard-strategy-trading-cards-greg-austin | url-status = live }}</ref> ''Hearthstone'' reached over 25 million players by the end of 2014,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Matulef|first1=Jeffrey|title=Destiny has more than 16 million registered users|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/destiny-has-more-than-16-million-registered-users|website=[[Eurogamer]]|publisher=Gamer Network|access-date=February 6, 2015|date=February 5, 2015|archive-date=February 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206040908/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-02-05-destiny-has-more-than-16-million-registered-users|url-status=live}}</ref> and exceeded 100 million players by 2018.<ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-celebrates-100-million-hearthstone-players-with-free-card-packs-for-everyone/ | title = Blizzard celebrates 100 million Hearthstone players with free card packs for everyone | first = Andy | last = Chalk | date = November 5, 2018 | access-date = November 5, 2018 | magazine = [[PC Gamer]] | archive-date = November 10, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181110163046/https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-celebrates-100-million-hearthstone-players-with-free-card-packs-for-everyone/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

Another small internal team began work around 2008 on a new intellectual property known as ''[[Titan (Blizzard Entertainment project)|Titan]]'', a more contemporary or near-future MMORPG that would have co-existed alongside ''World of Warcraft''. The project gained more visibility in 2010 as a result of some information leaks. Blizzard continued to speak on ''Titan''{{'}}s development over the next few years, with over 100 people within Blizzard working on the project. However, ''Titan''{{'}}s development was troubled, and, internally, in May 2013, Blizzard cancelled the project (publicly reporting this in 2014), and reassigned most of the staff but left about 40 people, led by [[Jeff Kaplan]], to either come up with a fresh idea within a few weeks or have their team reassigned to Blizzard's other departments. The small team came upon the idea of a team-based multiplayer shooter game, reusing many of the assets from ''Titan'' but set in a new near-future narrative. The new project was greenlit by Blizzard and became known as ''[[Overwatch (video game)|Overwatch]]'', which was released in May 2016. ''Overwatch'' became the fourth main intellectual property of Blizzard, following ''Warcraft'', ''StarCraft'', and ''Diablo''.<ref name="gamespot kaplan">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-story-of-overwatch-the-complete-jeff-kaplan-in/1100-6439202/ |title=The Story of Overwatch: The Complete Jeff Kaplan Interview |first1=Danny |last1=O'Dwyer |first2=Justin |last2=Haywald |date=April 26, 2016 |access-date=June 1, 2016 |work=[[GameSpot]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530205229/http://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-story-of-overwatch-the-complete-jeff-kaplan-in/1100-6439202/ |archive-date=May 30, 2016 }}</ref>

In addition to ''Hearthstone'' and ''Overwatch'', Blizzard Entertainment continued to produce sequels and expansions to its established properties during this period, including ''[[StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty]]'' (2010) and ''[[Diablo III]]'' (2012).<ref>{{Cite web|title=StarCraft 2 at ten: the past, present, and future of the world's greatest RTS|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/starcraft-2/tenth-anniversary-update|access-date=September 16, 2020|website=PCGamesN|date=August 6, 2020 |language=en-GB|archive-date=September 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919184850/https://www.pcgamesn.com/starcraft-2/tenth-anniversary-update|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 14, 2012|title=Diablo III Launches at Midnight: What You Need to Know|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/255564/diablo_iii_launches_at_midnight_what_you_need_to_know.html|access-date=September 16, 2020|website=PCWorld|language=en|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807092508/https://www.pcworld.com/article/255564/diablo_iii_launches_at_midnight_what_you_need_to_know.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Their [[Crossover (fiction)|major crossover]] title, ''[[Heroes of the Storm]]'', was released as a [[Multiplayer online battle arena|MOBA]] game in 2015.<ref name="release">{{cite press release|date=April 20, 2015|title=Blizzard's Worlds Collide When Heroes of the Storm Launches June 2 – Everyone's invited to join the battle for the Nexus when open beta testing begins on May 19|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150420005352/en/Blizzard%E2%80%99s-Worlds-Collide-Heroes-Storm%E2%84%A2-Launches-June|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-date=April 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423214341/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150420005352/en/Blizzard%E2%80%99s-Worlds-Collide-Heroes-Storm%E2%84%A2-Launches-June|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Kuchera|first=Ben|date=May 21, 2014|title=Blizzard set out to make a StarCraft mod, and instead reinvented gaming's most popular genre|url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/5/21/5723572/heroes-of-the-storm-making-of-blizzard|access-date=June 7, 2020|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807090059/https://www.polygon.com/2014/5/21/5723572/heroes-of-the-storm-making-of-blizzard|url-status=live}}</ref> The game featured various characters from Blizzard's franchises as playable heroes, as well as different battlegrounds based on ''Warcraft'', ''Diablo'', ''StarCraft'', and ''Overwatch'' universes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=From Warcraft III to Heroes of the Storm, Talking Art and Blizzard's Long History with Samwise Didier – AusGamers.com|url=https://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3564332|access-date=November 29, 2019|website=ausgamers.com|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806100904/https://www.ausgamers.com/features/read/3564332|url-status=live}}</ref> In the late 2010s, Blizzard released ''[[StarCraft: Remastered]]'' (2017) and ''[[Warcraft III: Reforged]]'' (2020)'','' [[remaster]]ed versions of the original ''StarCraft'' and ''Warcraft III,'' respectively''.''<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Here's When You Can Play 'StarCraft' With 4K Graphics|url=https://time.com/4841289/starcraft-remastered-release-date-price/|access-date=September 16, 2020|magazine=Time|archive-date=September 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918140436/https://time.com/4841289/starcraft-remastered-release-date-price/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Carpenter|first=Nicole|date=December 17, 2019|title=Warcraft 3: Reforged delayed to 2020|url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/12/17/21026923/warcraft-3-reforged-delay-2020-blizzard-entertainment|access-date=September 16, 2020|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=December 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201223031940/https://www.polygon.com/2019/12/17/21026923/warcraft-3-reforged-delay-2020-blizzard-entertainment|url-status=live}}</ref>

The May 2016 release of ''Overwatch'' was highly successful, and was the highest-selling game on PC for 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/2016/12/22/overwatch-brought-in-more-money-than-any-other-paid-pc-game-in-2016/ |title=Overwatch brought in more money than any other paid PC game in 2016 |first=Sharif |last=Saed |date=December 22, 2016 |access-date=December 22, 2016 |work=[[VG247]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223132212/https://www.vg247.com/2016/12/22/overwatch-brought-in-more-money-than-any-other-paid-pc-game-in-2016/ |archive-date=December 23, 2016 }}</ref> Several traditional [[esport]] events had been established within the year of ''Overwatch''{{'s}} release, such as the [[Overwatch World Cup]], but Blizzard continued to expand this and announced the first esports professional league, the [[Overwatch League]] at the 2016 BlizzCon event. The company purchased a studio at [[The Burbank Studios]] in [[Burbank, California]], that it converted into a dedicated esports venue, Blizzard Arena, to be used for the Overwatch League and other events.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/blizzard-opening-dedicated-esports-production-facility |title=Blizzard opening dedicated esports production facility |first=Brendan |last=Sinclair |date=September 7, 2017 |access-date=September 7, 2017 |work=[[GamesIndustry.biz]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908020202/http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-09-07-blizzard-opening-dedicated-esports-production-facility |archive-date=September 8, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> The inaugural season of the Overwatch League launched on January 10, 2018, with 12 global teams playing. By the second season in 2019 it had expanded the League to 20 teams, and with its third season in 2020, it will have these teams traveling across the globe in a transitional home/away-style format.

In 2012, Blizzard Entertainment had 4,700 employees,<ref name="gamasutra-dice-2012">{{cite web |author=Gamasutra Staff |url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/40230/DICE_2012_Blizzards_Pearce_on_World_Of_Warcrafts_launch_hangover.php |title=DICE 2012: Blizzard's Pearce on World Of Warcraft's launch hangover |website=[[Gamasutra]] |date=February 9, 2012 |access-date=January 23, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208121006/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/40230/DICE_2012_Blizzards_Pearce_on_World_Of_Warcrafts_launch_hangover.php |archive-date=February 8, 2013}}</ref> with offices across 11 cities including [[Austin, Texas]], and countries around the globe. {{as of|2015|June|}}, the company's headquarters in Irvine, California had 2,622 employees.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://legacy.cityofirvine.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=28198 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817005017/https://legacy.cityofirvine.org/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=28198 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |title=City of Irvine, California – Comprehensive Annual Financial Report – For fiscal year ending June 30, 2015 |publisher=[[Irvine, California]] |access-date=July 31, 2016}}</ref>

=== Change of leadership (2018–2022) ===
By 2018, a rift had developed between Kotick and Morhaime on how Blizzard should continue developing its games, with Morhaime wanting to allow the developers the freedom to experiment while Kotick was focused on generating profit. Morhaime had considered resigning in 2017 but Kotick convinced him to stay on. Morhaime announced his plans to step down as the company president and CEO On October 3, 2018, while remaining an advisor to the company. Morhaime stated publicly that he felt it was time for someone else to lead Blizzard, but those close to him said he had become tired of the conflicts with Kotick.<ref name="schreier play nice chap24">Schreier, 2024, Chapter 24: Changing of the Guard</reF> Morhaime formally left on April 7, 2019, and was replaced by J. Allen Brack, the executive producer on ''World of Warcraft''.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181003005928/en/Activision-Blizzard-Names-World-Warcraft%C2%AE-Executive-Producer |title=Activision Blizzard Names World of Warcraft Executive Producer J. Allen Brack As New President of Blizzard Entertainment |date=October 3, 2018 |access-date=October 3, 2018 |work=[[Business Wire]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003234812/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181003005928/en/Activision-Blizzard-Names-World-Warcraft%C2%AE-Executive-Producer |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/mike-morhaime-is-leaving-blizzard-for-good-in-april/ |title=Mike Morhaime is leaving Blizzard for good in April |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=January 10, 2019 |magazine=[[PC Gamer]] |language=en-US |access-date=January 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190111011926/https://www.pcgamer.com/mike-morhaime-is-leaving-blizzard-for-good-in-april/ |archive-date=January 11, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2019, Kotick announced a company-wide layoff of 8% of Activision Blizzard staff, around 800 total positions, due to lower revenues in 2018; this included a significant portion of Blizzard Entertainment, which had been since as having bloated head count over the years.<ref name="schreier play nice chap25">Schreier, 2024, Chapter 25: Cost Reduction</ref> Blizzard was planning for the announcement of ''Diablo IV'' and ''Overwatch 2'' at the 2019 Blizzcon, and to keep the company focused, two other projects, codenamed ''Ares'' and ''Orion'', were cancelled.<ref name="schreier play nice chap25"/>

Frank Pearce announced he would be stepping down as Blizzard's Chief Development Officer on July 19, 2019, though will remain in an advisory role similar to Morhaime.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/blizzard-frank-pearce |title=Blizzard co-founder Frank Pearce steps down after 28 years |last=Capel |first=Chris J. |date=July 19, 2019 |work=[[PCGamesN]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719224447/https://www.pcgamesn.com/blizzard-frank-pearce |archive-date=July 19, 2019 |access-date=July 19, 2019}}</ref> Michael Chu, lead writer on many of Blizzard's franchises including ''Diablo'', ''Warcraft'', and ''Overwatch'', announced he was leaving the company after 20 years in March 2020.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/11/21174947/overwatch-lead-writer-michael-chu-leaves-blizzard | title = Overwatch lead writer leaves Blizzard after 20 years | first = Michael | last = Chu | date = March 11, 2020 | access-date = March 11, 2020 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] | archive-date = March 12, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200312132745/https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/11/21174947/overwatch-lead-writer-michael-chu-leaves-blizzard | url-status = live }}</ref>

On January 22, 2021, Activision transferred [[Blizzard Albany|Vicarious Visions]] over to Blizzard Entertainment, stating that the Vicarious Visions team had better opportunity for long-term support for Blizzard.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-01-22-vicarious-visions-merged-into-blizzard | title = Vicarious Visions merged into Blizzard | first = Brendan | last = Sinclair | date = January 22, 2021 | access-date = January 22, 2021 | work = [[GamesIndustry.biz]] | archive-date = January 22, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210122204139/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-01-22-vicarious-visions-merged-into-blizzard | url-status = live }}</ref> Vicarious had been working with Blizzard for about two years prior to this announcement on the planned [[remaster]] of ''[[Diablo II]]'', ''[[Diablo II: Resurrected]]'', and according to Brack, it made sense to incorporate Vicarious into Blizzard for ongoing support of the game and for other ''Diablo'' games including ''[[Diablo IV]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-22/blizzard-absorbs-activision-studio-after-dismantling-classic-games-team| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/RfvZw?kreymer=false&url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-22/blizzard-absorbs-activision-studio-after-dismantling-classic-games-team | archive-date=2021-09-28 | title = Blizzard Absorbs Activision Studio After Dismantling Classic Games Team | first = Jason | last = Schreier |author-link=Jason Schreier| date = January 22, 2021 | access-date = January 22, 2021 | work = [[Bloomberg News]] }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/22/blizzard-leaders-j-allen-brack-and-allen-adham-on-leaks-reforged-lessons-mobile-and-more/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/22/blizzard-leaders-j-allen-brack-and-allen-adham-on-leaks-reforged-lessons-mobile-and-more/| archive-date=2021-09-28 | title = Blizzard leaders J. Allen Brack and Allen Adham on leaks, Reforged lessons, mobile, and more | first = Mike | last = Minotti | date = February 22, 2021 | access-date= February 22, 2021 | work = [[Venture Beat]] }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Vicarious was completely merged into Blizzard by April 12, 2022, thereby being renamed Blizzard Albany.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/tony-hawk-studio-vicarious-visions-is-no-more-as-it-completes-merger-with-blizzard/|title = Tony Hawk studio Vicarious Visions is no more as it completes merger with Blizzard|date = April 12, 2022}}</ref>

In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blizzard Entertainment released a compilation called ''Blizzard Arcade Collection'' in February 2021, for various video game platforms. The collection includes their three classic video games: ''[[The Lost Vikings]]'', ''[[Rock n' Roll Racing]],'' and ''[[Blackthorne]],'' each of which containing additional upgrades and numerous modern features.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Activision Blizzard was the subject of [[California Department of Fair Employment and Housing v. Activision Blizzard|a lawsuit]] from the [[California Department of Fair Employment and Housing]] in July 2021, asserting that for several years the management within Blizzard as well as Activision promoted a "frat boy" atmosphere that allowed and encouraged sexual misconduct towards female employees and discrimination in hiring practices.<ref name="bloomberglaw DFEH">{{Cite web|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/activision-blizzard-sued-by-california-over-frat-boy-culture|title=Activision Blizzard Sued Over 'Frat Boy' culture, Harassment|last=Allsup|first=Maeve|date=July 21, 2021|website=Bloomberg Law}}</ref> The lawsuit drew a large response from employees and groups outside of Activision Blizzard. In the wake of these events, Brack, one of the few individuals directly named in the suit, announced he was leaving Blizzard to "pursue new opportunities", and will be replaced by co-leads Jen Oneal, the lead of Vicarious Visions and the first woman in a leadership role for the company, and Mike Ybarra, a Blizzard executive vice president.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-president-j-allen-brack-is-leaving-the-company/1100-6494696/| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20210928/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-president-j-allen-brack-is-leaving-the-company/1100-6494696/| archive-date=2021-09-28 | title = Blizzard President J. Allen Brack Is Leaving The Company | first= Eddie | last = Makuch | date = August 3, 2021 | access-date = August 3, 2021 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}{{cbignore}}</ref> Oneal announced in November 2021 that she would be leaving the company by the end of 2021, leaving Ybarra as the sole leader of Blizzard.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2021/11/02/jen-oneal-leaves-blizzard-co-leader-role-mike-ybarra-becomes-sole-boss/ | title = Jen Oneal leaves Blizzard co-leader role, Mike Ybarra becomes sole boss | first= Mike | last = Minotti | date = November 2, 2021 | access-date = November 2, 2021 | work = [[Venture Beat]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=A Message From Jen Oneal|url=https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/blizzard/23738005/a-message-from-jen-oneal|access-date=2021-11-02|website=news.blizzard.com|language=en}}</ref>

As a result of the California lawsuit and of delays and release issues with their more recent games, Activision Blizzard's stock faced severe pressure. Subsequently, [[Microsoft]] seized the opportunity to become one of the largest video game companies in the world and announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard and its subsidiaries, including Blizzard, for {{USD|68.7 billion|long=no}} in January 2022. This exchange marks the largest acquisition in tech history, surpassing the $67 billion [[Dell EMC|Dell-EMC]] merger from 2016. The deal closed on October 13, 2023, and Activision Blizzard moved into the [[Microsoft Gaming]] division.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Microsoft to buy embattled Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/microsoft-activision-blizzard-acquisition/|access-date=2022-01-19|website=www.cbsnews.com|date=January 18, 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Blizzard acquired [[Proletariat (company)|Proletariat]], the developers of ''[[Spellbreak]]'', in June 2022 as to help support ''World of Warcraft''. The 100-employee studio remained in Boston but will shutter ''Spellbreak'' as they move onto ''Warcraft''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2022/06/29/blizzard-acquires-spellbreak-studio-proletariat-to-bolster-world-of-warcraft/ | title = Blizzard acquires Spellbreak studio Proletariat to bolster World of Warcraft | first = Dean | last = Takahashi | date = June 29, 2022 | access-date = June 29, 2022 | work = [[Venture Beat]] }}</ref>

=== Challenges with NetEase and Microsoft acquisition (2022–present) ===
Ahead of their license renewal in January 2023, Blizzard (via Activision Blizzard) and NetEase stated in November 2022 that they had been unable to come to an agreement on the renewal terms for their license, and thus most Blizzard games will cease operations in China in January 2023 until the situation can be resolved.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/17/23463818/blizzard-netease-china-hearthstone-diablo-world-of-warcraft-unavailable | title = Blizzard will suspend World of Warcraft in China because of licensing dispute | first = Ash | last = Parrish | date = November 17, 2022 | access-date = November 17, 2022 | work = [[The Verge]] }}</ref> According to a report by ''[[The New York Times]]'', several factors influenced Activision Blizzard's decision to terminate the agreement, which included stronger demands made by the Chinese government to know of Activision Blizzard's internal business matters, NetEase's desire to license the games directly rather than run the license through a joint venture, and Activision Blizzard's concerns that NetEase was trying to start their own ventures, including the {{USD|100 million|long=no}} payment towards Bungie in 2018. NetEase was further concerned about the impact of the pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard by [[Microsoft]]. Activision Blizzard stated they were looking to other Chinese firms as replacements for NetEase as to restore their games in China.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/29/technology/activision-netease-china-breakup.html | title = Rift Between Gaming Giants Shows Toll of China's Economic Crackdown | first1 = Kellen | last1 = Browning | first2 = Chang | last2 = Che | date = March 29, 2023 | access-date = April 1, 2023 | work = [[The New York Times]] }}</ref> By April 2024, Blizzard, with Microsoft's help, and NetEase had agreed to new publishing terms, with plans to bring back Blizzard's games to China by mid-2024, maintaining all prior game ownership from the original publishing deal. Under this new deal, NetEase also will be able to bring games to the Xbox platform.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Huang |first=Jiahui |title=Blizzard Videogames to Return to China in New Deal With NetEase |url=https://www.wsj.com/tech/blizzard-videogames-to-return-to-china-in-new-deal-with-netease-ecc79180 |access-date=2024-04-10 |work=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Yang |first1=George |title=Blizzard Games to Return to China Under New Agreement With NetEase |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/blizzard-games-to-return-to-china-under-new-agreement-with-netease |website=IGN |language=en |date=10 April 2024}}</ref>

Following completion of the acquisition, Microsoft announced it was laying off 1,900 staff from [[Microsoft Gaming]] on January 25, 2024. Alongside this, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra and Chief Design Officer Allen Adham announced they would be leaving the company. Further, the planned survival game from Blizzard was canceled.<ref name="verge jan2024 layoffs">{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=2024-01-25 |title=Microsoft lays off 1,900 Activision Blizzard and Xbox employees |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/25/24049050/microsoft-activision-blizzard-layoffs |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref> On January 29, 2024, Johanna Faries, the former general manager of the ''[[Call of Duty]]'' series, was named Blizzard Entertainment's new president, taking office on February 5.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Partis |first=Danielle |date=2021-04-26 |title=Johanna Faries named new Call of Duty general manager |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/johanna-faries-named-new-call-of-duty-general-manager |access-date=2024-01-29 |website=GamesIndustry.biz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/29/24054600/blizzard-has-a-new-president |title=Blizzard has a new president. |first=Emma |last=Roth |date=January 29, 2024 |website=[[The Verge]] |access-date=January 29, 2024}}</ref>

{{Main|Microsoft and unions#Activision Blizzard}}

Following the [[unionization]] success of [[Raven Software]]'s [[Game Workers Alliance]] (GWA) union for [[Software testing|quality assurance (QA) testers]], the 20-member QA team of [[Blizzard Albany]] announced a unionization drive in July 2022 as GWA Albany.<ref>{{cite web |last=Parrish |first=Ash |date=July 19, 2022 |title=Blizzard QA workers in Albany are organizing Activision's second union |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/19/23270108/blizzard-qa-workers-union-activision-gwa-albany-vicarious-visions |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220801055231/https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/19/23270108/blizzard-qa-workers-union-activision-gwa-albany-vicarious-visions |archive-date=August 1, 2022 |access-date=August 1, 2022 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> The vote passed (14–0).<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Carpenter |first1=Nicole |date=2022-12-02 |title=Blizzard Albany becomes second unionized studio at Activision Blizzard |url=https://www.polygon.com/23490063/activision-blizzard-albany-qa-union-vote-win |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126175937/https://www.polygon.com/23490063/activision-blizzard-albany-qa-union-vote-win |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |access-date=2023-02-11 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |language=en-US |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On July 24, 2024, 500 artists, designers, engineers, producers, and quality assurance testers who work on ''World of Warcraft'' voted to unionize under the [[Communications Workers of America]].<ref name="wow-union">{{Cite news |last=Eidelson |first=Josh |date=2024-07-24 |title=Microsoft's 'World of Warcraft' Gaming Staff Votes to Unionize |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-24/world-of-warcraft-unionizes-growing-foothold-at-microsoft-s-activision-blizzard |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240724224238/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-24/world-of-warcraft-unionizes-growing-foothold-at-microsoft-s-activision-blizzard |archive-date=July 24, 2024 |access-date=2024-07-24 |work=[[Bloomberg.com]] |language=en}}</ref> The same day, 60 QA testers at Blizzard's Austin office, who work on various games including ''[[Diablo IV]]'' and ''[[Hearthstone]]'', also voted to unionize and formed the union "Texas Blizzard QA United-CWA."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Valentine |first=Rebekah |date=2024-07-24 |title=World of Warcraft's Entire Development Team Has Officially Unionized |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/world-of-warcrafts-entire-development-team-has-officially-unionized |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806080210/https://www.ign.com/articles/world-of-warcrafts-entire-development-team-has-officially-unionized |archive-date=August 6, 2024 |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[IGN]] |language=en}}</ref> The following year, in May 2025, the members of Blizzard Team 4, who work on the game ''Overwatch 2'', also unionized with the Communications Workers of America, with nearly 200 game developers forming the wall-to-wall union "Overwatch Gamemakers Guild-CWA."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gach |first=Ethan |date=2025-05-09 |title=Blizzard's Overwatch Team Just Unionized: 'What I Want To Protect Most Here Is The People' |url=https://kotaku.com/overwatch-2-blizzard-team-4-union-microsoft-1851779922 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250509185223/https://kotaku.com/overwatch-2-blizzard-team-4-union-microsoft-1851779922 |archive-date=2025-05-09 |access-date=2025-05-09 |website=[[Kotaku]] |language=en}}</ref>