Several Blizzard Entertainment employees anonymously told the Game Developer portal how the last working meeting organized by Mike Ybarra took place. In short: not very good.
At the meeting, Ibarra said that all employees, including top managers, will receive only a 58% bonus for participating in the company’s profits. Despite the fact that the fourth quarter, like the whole of 2022, turned out to be a success for Blizzard. “If you think that managers earn a lot and you don’t, you are seriously mistaken,” he added.
▪️Ibarra spoke unsuccessfully about the importance of testing and technical support departments. In his opinion, employees of these departments should try to take on more responsibility in order to eventually grow into more prestigious roles.
Also, Ibarra did not agree with the criticism of the former lead developer of WoW Classic regarding the employee performance evaluation system. As part of it, managers are required to rate employees, and 5% of them should be low.
The president of Blizzard confirmed that the company is preparing to cancel the removal, and advised the dissatisfied to “look for something that will please them.” According to the Game Developer, his words were perceived as a recommendation to quit.
The interlocutors of the Game Developer admitted that after the meeting, many were disappointed, upset and angry. Previously, they believed that the heads of Activision Blizzard were behind some controversial initiatives, and not Ibarra and other Blizzard executives, but they are no longer sure about this.