Story Mode is not Normal
For the first time in a while, everyone on the show has killed the final boss of the raid. Thanks, story mode!...
Nick, Rei, Eric, and Kurabara are back with a surprise episode to talk about the release of Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier which releases today! The gang was lucky enough to receive an advance copy and having read the book we are able to share our thoughts.
First, we talk about whether we enjoyed the book and enjoyed the Rise, Fall, Future format. Nick mentions that the rise and fall portions of the book feel like different books, as the stories change from one of an up-and-coming company to a series of corporate battels. The last part of the book is also tough to read as the stories Schreir is telling are from the last half decade when Blizzard has been in turmoil, and as it becomes evident which story he is setting up, the anticipation of knowing what he’s about to discuss can be discomfiting. Nick also comments that the last chapter stands out since it addresses the layoffs from January.
We talk about how Schreier’s writing style which works for telling these narratives, although Nick and Rei were pressed to try to fit everything into chronological order.
Rei also talks about her experiences working for Gamestop and Activision and how they compare with the experiences under Activision’s bad management.
We also talk about some of the more interesting anecdotes, like how Brian Birmingham quit because of the implementation of stack ranking. They talk about Ben Brode’s path to joining Blizzard. And Nick mentions his disdain for Armin Zerza.
Play Nice is now available at bookstores everywhere.
Thank you for listening to WoW! Talk! Our next live show is scheduled for October 21st 2024 at 10:30 pm E at twitch.tv/mashthosebuttons. For any scheduling updates, please follow us on X @wowtalkmtb. Send any emails about your thoughts or feedback to wowtalk@mash.gg.
Hosts
Nick Zielenkievicz
Host of WoW! Talk! and The Tauren & The Goblin. Sometimes known as the Video Games Public Defender. Wants to play more Destiny and Marvel Heroes but WoW is all-consuming. Decent F2P Hearthstone player. Sad that he lost the Wii that had Wrecking Crew on it. Would be happy if the only game ever made was M.U.L.E. Gragtharr on Skywall-US. Garresque on Ravencrest-US.
Rei Liou
Rei is the 1 of the 5 SEELE members and the Ops Director at MTB. She enjoys anime, baking, cooking, gaming ( fighting, puzzle, rhythm, RPGs ), and spending WAY too much time working on spreadsheets. Current Games: Tales of Crestoria, WoW
Eric Knutson
Auto mechanic, car enthusiast, gamer, runner and almost never serious, Eric has been ditching responsibilities and gaming since age 7. His favorite genres are FPS and racing, although most of his game time is currently spent on WoW
