Play Nice cover art

Play Nice

The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment

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Play Nice

By: Jason Schreier
Narrated by: Ray Chase
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About this listen

From a New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist comes The Social Network for the video game industry, a riveting examination of Blizzard Entertainment's rise and shocking downfall.

For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company behind classics like Diablo and World of Warcraft was known to celebrate the joy of gaming over all else. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission—to make games they wanted to play—launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars.

But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside. Glitchy products, PR disasters, mass layoffs, and a staggering lawsuit marred the company's reputation and led to its ultimate reckoning.

Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, Play Nice chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment, showing us what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, this is the story of what happens when the ruthless pursuit of profit meets artistic idealism.

©2024 Jason Schreier (P)2024 Grand Central Publishing Programming Programming & Software Development Software Development & Engineering

Critic Reviews

“Here’s a thrilling adventure story from the untamed, online wilderness of modern capitalism. Think Barbarians at the Gate, but with digital dragons and blood-thirsty trolls. Gaming is now a more powerful and influential business than Hollywood, and Jason Schreier has delivered a masterful narrative that shows how the industry really works.”—Christopher Leonard, New York Times bestselling author of Kochland and The Lords of Easy Money
“A fast paced thrill ride, perfect for anyone who has ever played a video game. Jason Schreier’s comprehensive history of Blizzard Entertainment offers a completely enthralling look at the company’s founding and the bitter battle for its future. A must read!”—Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires, Dumb Money, and The Midnight Ride.

"Jason Schreier's Play Nice is a riveting chronicle of one of gaming's most iconic companies. With gripping detail and unmatched access, Schreier pulls back the curtain on Blizzard Entertainment's meteoric rise, turbulent history, and struggle to balance uncompromising creativity with corporate America's unyielding pursuit of profit. Play Nice is a must-read exposé of the passion, ambition and dysfunction behind some of the most beloved games of all time."—Bradley Hope, co-author of the New York Times bestseller Billion Dollar Whale
"Jason Schreier's PLAY NICE is a gripping narrative not just of a single influential company but the evolution of the entire video game industry, changing from a niche pursuit to one of the largest cultural products in the world. This is vital reading for anyone hoping to understand the state of entertainment in the 21st century. Video games are an unavoidable force; PLAY NICE breaks down the genre as well as the personalities behind it."—Kyle Chayka, author Filterworld
"Play Nice is the ultimate insider account of the creation of some of the most beloved games ever, and a colorful portrait of the computer-game gold rush. Who knew that behind the scenes of Warcraft and Overwatch was a story of power plays, betrayals, and quests for glory as epic as the games themselves?"—Zeke Faux, author of Number Go Up
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I love listening to the histories of giant companies. My goodness the revenue they have!! And the profits!!! Yet they claim they don’t have money to pay their staff well as they grow.
But my goodness Blizzard games were so well known for being absolutely top quality. Now though…

Wow what a story

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I didn’t expect to learn so much about blizzards history since I’ve been part of the blizzard gaming space for many years already but Jason’s work on this book and history of one of the most beloved studios out there was eye opening and a fantastic listen throughout. Highly recommend this whether you read or listen to it.

A roller coaster of history

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I've followed Jason's Bloomberg history for some time. As an avid gamer of over 30 years, I've experienced the highs and lows of industry.

Warcraft, World Of Warcraft and Diablo franchises have absorbed years of my life.

whilst there was no major surprises as this was a story I followed closely in real time, and no spoilers (of course).

Even for those interested in the in-depth look of the Business world, this is a cautionary tale of flying too close to the sun, egos and putting profit before the customer.

Jason continues to be an industry leading source of truth. In an ugly realm of blame (dei, gamers, greed) hearing from those inside the chaos with unfiltered perspective, it's another smash hit well worth the read.

As much as I wait and pray, without baited breath, I hope those in charge of the game companies we love read this as a warning of what happens when you fail the developers, fans and potential new gamers.

A cautionary tale of Art, Greed and Toxic Cultures

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Play Nice, is not like blood sweat and pixels, and to a lesser extent press reset. Those books were focused on multiple studios. Like the title implies, play nice is the story of blizzard. The focus on just blizzard is good. The book is far more concise, chapters bleed together, parts can be far too long, and at the same time too short.
Blood sweat and pixels is the story of games. Press reset is the story of the people whom make them. Play nice is the story of a company. In other words, with each book the focus has drawn in. I do find the lack of coverage on vicarious visions fusion into blizzard a bit strange. For one, it happens near the end of the timeline, and two, it could act as a bridge towards the past with blizzard north. This could have deepened the feelings of dismay towards bobby around this time.
Ray chase is still fantastic. If Jason decides to do another book, I would hope that Chase is once again approached.

Jason’s on a sniper spree!!

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A very interesting tale of a games company that made some of the biggest games in the last 30 years! An absolutely insightful look at their creative process and how the games were made over the years, and what set Blizzard apart from the rest of the industry. Sad in some ways as Blizzard certainly falls from lofty heights, but again so captivating to see why and how. Very well written and excellently read!

A captivating and illuminating look at Blizzard

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It puts many events in context and I appreciated the scope and journey of so many people.

Great summary, a well told story.

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Jason Schreier stands as one the single best journalist working in the video games industry and this book is emblematic of that. It is fascinating exploring the behind the scenes of these companies that also searches to teach listeners insights about business, management, and game development. Blizzards story is incredibly and an exploration of the result of a bunch of nerdy guys making it big time and the ups and downs that comes with that. Would love to see a book on the behind the scenes of Xbox.

The greatest example of video games journalism the industry has

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Wow…did not think I’d enjoy this as much as I did. Super informative but also so intriguing/ entertaining. Narrator did a beautiful job, as did of course the writer!

Narrator is dang great!

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loved this book, learnt a lot about the inner workings of blizzard, need more video game history focused books like this

riveting and informative

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The way that the author has managed to combine both themes and the decades of history of Blizzard entertainment is wonderful. It is both entertaining and informative.
By the end of the novel I felt so absorbed and curious about rest of the authors works.

A masterclass in non-fiction storytelling

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