The problems surrounding Blizzard and Overwatch 2 appear to be growing, according to a new report from Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier.
In his latest edition of the Game On Newsletter, Schreier says that the struggles of Overwatch 2 led to developers receiving no profit-sharing bonus that had become commonplace within the company. The lack of a bonus comes as Blizzard makes major changes to various policies within the company.
“Failing to get any profit-sharing bonus is rare at Blizzard and is the result of a major policy change that was enacted in 2023,” Schreier said. “Previously, employees would receive bonuses based on the overall performance of the company. But last summer, the payouts became tied to the performance of each specific franchise.”
According to the report, developers on the teams for Diablo and World of Warcraft received their bonuses. However, those who work on Overwatch didn’t.
And this becomes the culmination of a long-time fight within the company over how the bonuses for developers should work.
“Leadership at Blizzard, including former presidents Mike Morhaime and J. Allen Brack, fought for bonuses to be shared company-wide because they believed that otherwise everyone would want to work on the most successful games rather than experiment with new ideas,” the report reads. “Activision’s leadership, driven by former Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick, argued that those behind the most lucrative products should be rewarded the most.”
As mentioned, the change in policy happened in 2023 before incoming CEO Johanna Faries took over. Faries has since said she will look at the various company policies that are currently in place.
Overwatch 2 launched in 2022 to mixed reviews due to various concerns from players ranging from the removal of gameplay features to promises of content not being delivered. The game’s biggest selling point when revealed was a PvE hero mode that ultimately was canceled. Despite getting some PvE updates, Blizzard has decided to not complete any of the remaining PvE content that’s been in development, instead focusing even more on the PvP gameplay that the first game was known for.
Insider Gaming has reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment on the bonus structure and the state of development within the company. Should a response be received, it will be added to this story.
What do you think about developers on Overwatch 2 not getting a profit-sharing bonus that other developers in the company received due to the game’s struggles? For more Insider Gaming, check out the release date for the next Final Fantasy 16 DLC.
