WoW Community Manager Ythisens gets laid off, trends on Twitter and Reddit.

[Weebos]

Ythisens was a community manager for World of Warcraft, and one of the more active ones on the forums. If you ever checked forum blue post roundups, you likely saw plenty of posts from him. I always enjoyed seeing his name pop up, he was the only Blizzard employee whose name I actually recognized.

He was laid off this week, like hundreds of other Activision Blizzard employees:

As of today I'm no longer an employee of @Blizzard_Ent. Wasn't my choice. I wanted to retire here. I was just laid off from my dream job. Probably not best for me to tweet right now but it was an honor being your CM @Warcraft community. I love all of you.

Click to shrink...

There was a massive outcry in the World of Warcraft fanbase, and tons of anger and confusion on reddit.

Yesterday he summed up much of what happened on Twitter, but also weighed in on what he currently thinks of Blizzard and his former colleagues.

So yesterday was a roller coaster but here's the highlight:
Got laid off
Trended in California
My tweet was #4 on r/all
Was #1 on r/wow and r/classicwow
I got so many people from so many places messaging both with support and love as well as people from other studios trying to help find me a home.

You get a little lost in the numbers sometimes and forget how many people you actually interact with but I've been in tears constantly because I truly didn't know. Thank you seriously everyone. I have some parting words that I want to say here so lets go.

Click to shrink...

The Twitter thread continues, but I didn't want to quote the whole thing here.

Overall I thought it was an encouraging story about a community standing up for someone, and the reaction was much larger than I expected. I imagine some people at Activision-Blizzard are feeling a little foolish about it.

Mods, if this should just be discussed as part of the group threads, feel free to close and merge it. I thought Ythisens' story deserved a highlight.

 

[Velocity:Design:Comfort]

They cut people like this who actually make differences, but you just know they have 5745 redundant middle managers and business facing people who do basically nothing.

 

[TheGhost]

Man.....that sucks but happy to see he is getting that emotional support from the community.

 

[Ryuelli]

This is a real shame, because WoW is severely lacking decent CMs right now. He was one of the best.

 

[SweetNicole]

This is a real shame, because WoW is severely lacking decent CMs right now. He was one of the best.

Click to shrink...

He was certainly the most accessible CM for the community. AFAIK, there are a lot of communities with WoW that have no direct CM contact anymore because he was laid off.

 

[m_dorian]

Ythisens is one of the many good ones the dangerous Blizzard administration let go.
Thankfully his worth is well known and appreciated so i sincerely hope he will be a part of a better lead team.
I hope the same for all the affected.

You can't let good people that have a proven record of doing their work well, to go unless you are a complete idiot.

 

[borghe]

yeah... record profits.. $15M executive bonuses... hundreds of middle managers... but they just couldn't find a penny to save the 800 people who actually did work.... tough to be #2.

I would boycott them... but I actually don't buy any Activision products.. I have bought Blizzard stuff most recently.. but even that may have most recently been like 2-3 hearthstone expansions ago.

 

[Hycran]

The Classic Wow community on reddit is particularly sensitive to this given that he was literally the only one that said anything about Classic wow, even if it was just "we are working on it".

A new blue poster has popped up on the blizzard forums to seemingly take his place but we will see how that turns out.

 

[sandboxgod]

yeah... record profits.. $15M executive bonuses... hundreds of middle managers... but they just couldn't find a penny to save the 800 people who actually did work.... tough to be #2.

I would boycott them... but I actually don't buy any Activision products.. I have bought Blizzard stuff most recently.. but even that may have most recently been like 2-3 hearthstone expansions ago.

Click to shrink...

I havent bought an Activision product in quite a long time (years++). They finally publishing a game I am kinda interested in (Shadows Die Twice) but I am perfectly fine with buying it used etc

 

[Lakeside]

I havent bought an Activision product in quite a long time (years++). They finally publishing a game I am kinda interested in (Shadows Die Twice) but I am perfectly fine with buying it used etc

Click to shrink...

I keep reading this, but all that does is contribute to further unemployment.

 

[spootime]

This guy was the one person who the wow community didnt hate. The fact that HE was laid off, with all the terrible PR that wow has been getting recently, makes me think the layoffs were done somewhat randomly.

 

[Pirate Bae]

Fuck Activision.

 

[Kirblar]

This guy was the one person who the wow community didnt hate. The fact that HE was laid off, with all the terrible PR that wow has been getting recently, makes me think the layoffs were done somewhat randomly.

Click to shrink...

They were done top-down from corporate.

This is a pretty perfect example of what not to do with layoffs though- a CM is doing PR work for you that's important and necessary.

 

[Hixx]

It's not often you'll see a WoW CM being so popular among the community. Further weakening the currently strenuous bond between Blizzard's WoW team and its community is such a weird move that, like mentioned above, makes me think that very little thought went into these layoffs other than what their job title was. Probably wrong but yeah... stupid.

 

[Slayven]

They were done top-down from corporate.

This is a pretty perfect example of what not to do with layoffs though- a CM is doing PR work for you that's important and necessary.

Click to shrink...

You know his work will get reasigned to somebody that isn't trained in and/or will neglect it

 

[Kirblar]

It's not often you'll see a WoW CM being so popular among the community. Further weakening the currently strenuous bond between Blizzard's WoW team and its community is such a weird move that, like mentioned above, makes me think that very little thought went into these layoffs other than what their job title was. Probably wrong but yeah... stupid.

Click to shrink...

The specific primary reason for the layoffs is the whole thing with Destiny and Bungie imploding on them while a recession's looking like it's looming on the horizon but they've had very, very bad upper management for a long time- underpaying your devs making it even harder to recruit people in a tight labor market, cancelling D3 X-pack II leading to moving on to D4 way earlier in the console gen cycle than you're prepared for, everything related to Destiny, the insane CEO level payouts, the handling of HOTS, it's all going back to that root upper management issue.

 

[Falchion]

Hope he lands somewhere even better.

 

[sandboxgod]

I keep reading this, but all that does is contribute to further unemployment.

Click to shrink...

Activision made the most money it ever has and they still laid folks off ;(

 

[Scuffed]

This is a big blunder. People loved this guy which is very rare these days and he wasn't appreciated at all by the company. Blizzard fans know Blizzard is out of touch with their communities and this really highlights that.

 

[Lakeside]

Activision made the most money it ever has and they still laid folks off ;(

Click to shrink...

I honestly feel like a significant part of this forum have little idea how publicly traded companies work.

 

[Astandahl]

Fuck Activision CDA and CEO.

 

[sandboxgod]

I honestly feel like a significant part of this forum have little idea how publicly traded companies work.

Click to shrink...

I do, you shouldn't make an assumption about a poster based on their post. You never know who you are talking to :)

 

[NaDannMaGoGo]

I honestly feel like a significant part of this forum have little idea how publicly traded companies work.

Click to shrink...

I think a lot of us are perfectly well aware but that doesn't mean we are happy with it. Neither should we.

 

[Disclaimer]

God. Literally the only CM in active communication with many of the WoW sub-forums.

What stupidity, firing such a person, especially since their communicativeness was a relatively new boon amidst a communication drought that's existed since Ghostcrawler left — one for which Blizzard has repeatedly offered apologies and empty promises to do better.

I unsubbed from WoW around October, and frankly, I refuse to buy anymore Activision-Blizzard products or services if this is how they utilize their record profits (to say nothing of BFA's poor quality).

Hopefully Ythisens will land somewhere that appreciates his talents more.

 

[spootime]

The specific primary reason for the layoffs is the whole thing with Destiny and Bungie imploding on them while a recession's looking like it's looming on the horizon but they've had very, very bad upper management for a long time- underpaying your devs making it even harder to recruit people in a tight labor market, cancelling D3 X-pack II leading to moving on to D4 way earlier in the console gen cycle than you're prepared for, everything related to Destiny, the insane CEO level payouts, the handling of HOTS, it's all going back to that root upper management issue.

Click to shrink...

The compensation for engineers at blizzard is godawful right? I'm not a software engineer, but I have a good number of friends in the industry. From what I've gathered you're only making ~100k at blizzard while 5 years experience can get you ~300k at google...

 

[Bold One]

Bungie, make the call.

 

[ColonelForbin]

Ythisens was a community manager for World of Warcraft, and one of the more active ones on the forums. If you ever checked forum blue post roundups, you likely saw plenty of posts from him. I always enjoyed seeing his name pop up, he was the only Blizzard employee whose name I actually recognized.

He was laid off this week, like hundreds of other Activision Blizzard employees:




There was a massive outcry in the World of Warcraft fanbase, and tons of anger and confusion on reddit.

Yesterday he summed up much of what happened on Twitter, but also weighed in on what he currently thinks of Blizzard and his former colleagues.




The Twitter thread continues, but I didn't want to quote the whole thing here.

Overall I thought it was an encouraging story about a community standing up for someone, and the reaction was much larger than I expected. I imagine some people at Activision-Blizzard are feeling a little foolish about it.

Mods, if this should just be discussed as part of the group threads, feel free to close and merge it. I thought Ythisens' story deserved a highlight.

Click to shrink...

I was laid off back in 2009. It's the same story as this, laid off because of money. I don't understand why the gaming community thinks that their hobby is immune from this. We have seen countless studios close or bought because of money issues. I also didn't get on Twitter and need community support to get through it. I went out and got another job because that's the thing you do.

I don't get the whole community standing up for him. Because he got laid off? Sometimes senior people are let go. Except their sallary is higher. Sometimes the numbers just don't make sense anymore. Are wow subscription numbers still declining?

A game company that doesn't make these hard decisions end up being a game company that closes.

 

[Kirblar]

The compensation for engineers at blizzard is godawful right? I'm not a software engineer, but I have a good number of friends in the industry. From what I've gathered you're only making ~100k at blizzard while 5 years experience can get you ~300k at google...

Click to shrink...

That's my understanding- they've been underpaying while using the carrot of "ITS BLIZZARD" to persuade people, and that carrot may be rotting.

 

[tmkn]

They cut people like this who actually make differences, but you just know they have 5745 redundant middle managers and business facing people who do basically nothing.

Click to shrink...

Yes it's some kind of war against the good people

 

[Deleted member 16365]

They cut people like this who actually make differences, but you just know they have 5745 redundant middle managers and business facing people who do basically nothing.

Click to shrink...

Companies always cut employees who have been around for a long time versus new employess due to salaries. It's shitty, but makes fiscal sense if you're an evil company that sees people as dollars instead of humans.

For example someone who comes in at $50k and gets a standard 2% raise for 15 years they're making $70k versus a brand new employee who might do a similar job that just started and is at $50k

 

[Cantaim]

Maybe it's just me but firing a well liked CM would be one of the last calls I make if I had to fire people. It's an incredibly important position that is under appreciated by just about everyone.

 

[Lashley]

Really hope he finds somewhere new, and soon.

Fuck Activision.

 

[Dojima]

He deserves to be in a better place and he will. Just wait for it. Good luck

 

[Qikz]

I really hope someone saves Blizzard from Activision. Who realistically (not evil) is big enough to buy them out from Activision?

 

[Deleted member 36578]

That's so fucking sad. Especially since he'll most likely be replaced by someone anyway. Wtf at these decisions to let certain employees go. They're probably people who the company deemed over paid and thus should be fired.

 

[Alex840]

Activision: What do you do?
Employee: I'm community manager of WoW.
Activision: So you don't create content for the game?
Employee: No, but as the game is about millions of people playing together, my role is important to address thoughts and feedback.
Activision: Hmm, so no actual content created...you can go.

 

[Thorn]

Activision is the fucking worst.

 

[Deleted member 46948]

I really hope someone saves Blizzard from Activision. Who realistically (not evil) is big enough to buy them out from Activision?

Click to shrink...

Since they merged to effectively become one company, this isn't in the cards anymore.

 

[ChuckStank]

Damn, I can only imagine the feeling. I finally found a job I love at 34 years old and hope to retire here so it'd be terrible if I was laid off as well.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

I honestly feel like a significant part of this forum have little idea how publicly traded companies work.

Click to shrink...

Shouldn't make blanket statements like that.

 

[Qikz]

Since they merged to effectively become one company, this isn't in the cards anymore.

Click to shrink...

Wasn't it Activision and Vivendi that merged?

 

[Deleted member 46948]

Wasn't it Activision and Vivendi that merged?

Click to shrink...

Yes, but then Activision Blizzard split with Vivendi. The bottom line is, they're the same company now, it's not like Activision owns Blizzard as a separate subject.

 

[Budi]

It's good to see support for him, as in that position he's been under a lot of abuse from gamers. So it's no doubt been a difficult job.

 

[Blackage]

Ythisens was a real one, he probably dealt with less hate and got more love then most gaming community managers. Not surprised by the outpouring of support for him.

 

[CrashFaster]

Yes, I know, it's sad for these people, but come on ... people get fired all day every day and no one sheds a tear for them.

Grow up lol. Pretty much everyone will or has been on the receiving end of that stick at least once in their lifetime. I know I have.

That being said, I do hope all of these people land on their feet and find a new 'home' soon.

 

[Joe Shlabotnik]

I was laid off back in 2009. It's the same story as this, laid off because of money. I don't understand why the gaming community thinks that their hobby is immune from this. We have seen countless studios close or bought because of money issues. I also didn't get on Twitter and need community support to get through it. I went out and got another job because that's the thing you do.

I don't get the whole community standing up for him. Because he got laid off? Sometimes senior people are let go. Except their sallary is higher. Sometimes the numbers just don't make sense anymore. Are wow subscription numbers still declining?

A game company that doesn't make these hard decisions end up being a game company that closes.

Click to shrink...

pssst getting on Twitter is how lots of game industry folks get new jobs

 

[Cabal]

Yes, I know, it's sad for these people, but come on ... people get fired all day every day and no one sheds a tear for them.

Grow up lol. Pretty much everyone will or has been on the receiving end of that stick at least once in their lifetime. I know I have.

That being said, I do hope all of these people land on their feet and find a new 'home' soon.

Click to shrink...

Christ, man have some empathy. For one thing, the guy worked as a community manager so he had interactions with a lot of fans, including some in this forum. Of course people are sad when someone they interact with even on a passive level is fired. People tend to get outraged when a large employer lays off hundreds of people after announcing record profits. The only person that should grow up is the one that can't seem to comprehend such things.

Your statement comes off as immature. If you don't care, here's an idea: maybe don't post next time.

 

[Deleted member 888]

Who needs good community relations and interaction with your fans when you really just need monetization experts/analysts?

 

[CrashFaster]

[Never mind, it's not worth my time or energy]

 

[Bufbaf]

Who needs good community relations and interaction with your fans when you really just need monetization experts/analysts?

Click to shrink...

One of the reasons I'm working as Social Media Manager now despite having years of and nothing but love for community management. It's literally one of the least appreciated positions in gaming, both by players and companies.

Also rarely well paid.

Man this sucks but feels so familiar :/