Activision’s takeover of Blizzard was “like a frog in a boiling pot of water”, Diablo 3’s former lead designer has said.
Jay Wilson, who no longer works for Blizzard, spoke at a Diablo retrospective panel discussion at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo on 15th October, alongside producer Matt Householder and sound designer Matt Uelmen (spotted by TheGamer).
An audience member asked Wilson about the impact of Activision’s 2008 Blizzard buyout.
“Activision’s effect on Blizzard was like a frog in a boiling pot of water. Early on, it felt like nothing,” said Wilson.
“Later on, as business models progressed for products, it became more and more… the products that were newer, the products that were making money, had enormous amounts of pressure on them.”
Those newer products included the embattled MOBA Heroes of the Storm. “They were just crushed in meetings with Activision where they were always talking about the bottom line, how to pull more out of that. Diablo 3 wasn’t affected too much because we were very solidly a premium boxed model,” said Wilson.