Win a copy of Jason Schreier's new book (US/Canada only...sorry!) - Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment (plus an AMA!)

[Hecht]

Hey everyone,

Jason Schreier has generously offered up ten (10) copies of his upcoming book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, for ResetEra members. We'll be using GiftBot for this, and it's open to anyone who's a registered user (US/Canada winners only, sorry!).

Please read the instructions in the GiftBot post on how to vote.

Here's the synopsis from the publisher's site:

From a New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist comes The Social Network for the video game industry, a riveting examination of Blizzard Entertainment's rise and shocking downfall.

For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company behind classics like Diablo and World of Warcraft was known to celebrate the joy of gaming over all else. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission — to make games they wanted to play — launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars.

But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside. Glitchy products, PR disasters, mass layoffs, and a staggering lawsuit marred the company's reputation and led to its ultimate reckoning.

Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, Play Nice chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment, showing us what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, this is the story of what happens when the ruthless pursuit of profit meets artistic idealism.

Click to shrink...

Personally, I've read (ok, listened to the audiobooks while driving) his other two books, Blood, Sweat, and Pixels and Press Reset, and enjoyed them both, so I'm looking forward to this release as well. Hopefully, Hecht: The Man, the Myth, the Legend isn't too far behind.

jschreier will also be doing an AMA in this thread for the next...hour or so, but as he's still a user here I'm sure he'll pop in to answer questions here and there after the fact. Feel free to ask him any questions you like, particularly about the book, or the industry, or how he dealt with the smell at E3.

 

[GiftBot]

Giveaway

Hello, I am bot! I come bearing 10 gifts from Hecht!

This is a weeklong raffle that will expire in one week. The winner will be drawn at random! Any prizes leftover after the deadline will become available on a first-come first-serve basis.

Please make sure to vote for ALL of the copies! GiftBot isn't really designed for multiple copies of things to be given at once (but it's something we'll work on), so please vote for every copy of the book. On the off chance that we get the same winner for multiple copies, I'll do a random selection from the other users in the thread to ensure that there's only one winner per copy.

The winners will be contacted via PM after the raffle is complete, in order to get their information to send them a copy of the book.

Good luck, everyone!

Click to shrink...

These are our awesome prizes:

• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by pantsattack (1270 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by Neophant (1263 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by Chromie (1259 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by Solaire of Astora (1260 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by The Third Heat (1262 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by machtia (1264 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by DanteMenethil (1262 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by DesVoeux (1260 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by LOLDSFAN (1260 entries)
• Book: Play Nice by Jason Schreier - Won by JimD (1260 entries)

This raffle has ended. Any remaining prizes can be instantly claimed by entering.

 

[vainilla09]

Great! Schreier must be the best journalist in the industry.

 

[The Albatross]

Having not read the book I don't really have any immediate questions about it or the industry at large, but just wanted to say thanks for being a member of the community and adding some valuable perspective to our threads throughout the years.

 

[Falchion]

I had a calendar reminder for this week for the new book. Can't wait to read it!

 

[Hecht]

Having not read the book I don't really have any immediate questions about it or the industry at large, but just wanted to say thanks for being a member of the community and adding some valuable perspective to our threads throughout the years.

Click to shrink...

It comes out tomorrow so I don't think many people have read it :)

 

[DevilPuncher]

Awesome! I was just thinking about getting it too

 

[LiK]

Gimme those juicy industry secrets, Jay.

 

[Yuntu]

Thank you for your work Jason. Keep it up, genuinly fantastic stuff.

 

[sheeldz]

Giveaway open internationally?

 

[Hecht]

Giveaway open internationally?

Click to shrink...

That's a good point, I should have asked that. jschreier?

 

[FatCatSings]

Just listened to the first chapter of the book on Triple Click and I love that it's read by Ray Chase! Thanks for the giveaway!

 

[Neoxon]

To jschreier for the AMA: If you don't mind me asking four questions, here you go...

1. How do you feel about fighting games? If they're something you're at least somewhat interested in, what are some of your favorites?
2. What first-party Nintendo franchises are you most interested to see how they materialize on the Switch 2?
3. On the Nintendo topic, do you think Splatoon has more room to grow its Western audience to come closer to its strength in Japan? If so, how do you think it could/should be done?
4. Thoughts on gyro aiming (with or without flick stick)?

 

[jschreier]

That's a good point, I should have asked that. jschreier?

Click to shrink...

US/Canada only, sorry!

 

[SunBroDave]

Already got my copy pre-ordered, but this is a cool gesture Jason, thanks. Excited to dive in tomorrow! BS&P and PR were both absolutely excellent

 

[EinBear]

I very much enjoyed Jason's previous books - looking forward to reading this!

 

[LiK]

Just listened to the first chapter of the book on Triple Click and I love that it's read by Ray Chase! Thanks for the giveaway!

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wtf, Ray Chase the goat

 

[Darryl M R]

We like you too, Jason.

In all seriousness, Jason has surfaced needed discussions in the gaming industry, highlighting how systemic issues aren't as complex as their lack of solutions may suggest.

Looking forward to the AMA.

 

[Hecht]

wtf, Ray Chase the goat

Click to shrink...

He narrated Press Reset also, IIRC.

EDIT: Yep. Blood, Sweat, and Pixels too

 

[DevilPuncher]

I'm gonna be honest, jschreier

I just want to know what your favorite UFO 50 game is.

 

[Sephiroth]

Thanks Press.Sneak.King

 

[Shoot]

jschreier did Concord actually cost $400 million?

 

[DrFunk]

Nice! Looking forward to rich, creamy bowls of secrets

 

[Vash]

US/Canada only, sorry!

Click to shrink...

Aw, darn. I entered before I saw your answer.

I wish everyone on the other side the ocean a lot of luck though!

And thanks, Jason!

 

[vixolus]

jschreier what's the "latest" you managed to get in to in the book? I believe in your Friends Per Second podcast appearance you mentioned you were pitching the book two-some years ago and that's when the California government case happened and it became a bigger case study?

But then of course, the ABK Microsoft deal happened and information came out over that process followed by Odyssey being cancelled, Chris Metzen returning to WoW and other layoffs happening. But editing needs to end at SOME point.

So, how much has recent events been covered in the book or is it not as important or interesting as a writer to cover because all of that has been public vs the more hidden, intimate and elusive aspects over the other 31 years of Blizzard's history?

And thank you for the giveaway, AMA, and congrats on the launch.

 

[Desi]

Looking forward to giving this a read soon

 

[LiK]

He narrated Press Reset also, IIRC.

Click to shrink...

alright, i'll need to check out the audiobook versions now.

 

[cyress8]

Shit, ready for some delicious info to drop.

 

[Meta]

Loved the chapters on Dragon Age: Inquisition and Stardew Valley in Blood, Sweat, and Pixels. It's unfortunate that the next book won't be as inspiring due to its subject matter, but others may be able to learn from Blizzard's experience.

 

[Lukar]

Thanks for the giveaway Jason! Loved BS&P, excited to read this.

 

[Kyuuji]

Ah this is awesome! Thanks to the staff and Jason for setting this up!

I guess my question would be: jschreier if you could dispel one piece of misinformation around game development or the industry that you see commonly spread or taken as gospel by players, what would it be?

 

[Necrokey]

Hey Jason! Congratulations on getting your third book out and into the world!

My question is in regards to your time playing Blizzard games. I believe you mentioned you played Vanilla WoW? What was your server/race/class? And what is your overall favorite Title they have produced. Thanks!

 

[MGPanda]

Hi jschreier , first of all thank you so much for both the giveaway and the AMA!

I'm just curious—you're something of an institution in the industry at this point. While we have some fantastic, professional journalists covering major stories, it feels like whenever there's a big controversy (whether it's a game's disastrous launch, a major publisher collapsing, or reports of poor studio management), it's your coverage that most people are eager to see. Do you ever feel like that's both a blessing and a curse? Do you ever feel like there's too much pressure on you and what you're writing?

US/Canada only, sorry!

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Well damn. Mods, is there some way to remove my entry? lmao

 

[Plinkerton]

My question for the AMA jschreier:

Over the last few years, you've become almost the go-to name that people bring up when they talk about investigative journalism in the games industry. I was wondering firstly how you feel about that - is it a lot of responsibility?

But my main question is - who are the other people doing similar work to yours that you would shout out? Any that might not be as well known as yourself but you feel are doing important work?

Thanks!

Edit: dammit asked almost the exact same question as MGPanda above lol.

 

[JAY_HORROR]

jschreier After your reporting on the likes of Naughty Dog, Rockstar etc on crunch culture have your received any feedback from the devs on improvements?

 

[Grain Silo]

Thanks for the giveaway Jason!

Just listened to the first chapter of the book on Triple Click and I love that it's read by Ray Chase! Thanks for the giveaway!

Click to shrink...

A book about Blizzard read out loud by Sire Denathrius himself? I love it!

This character was the only major redeeming aspect of Shadowlands for me and Ray Chase's voice acting just took him to another level.

 

[Haloid1177]

jschreier As someone who has covered gaming for so long, and written books in the past, given the current state of the industry and what we know has occurred at Blizzard now under Bobby and with crunch, was writing this book a different experience than your others? Not just in scale, obviously it's a huge story, but more the nuance or difficult subject matter, and did it make the experience of writing this one heavier than your others?

 

[TheUnsungHero26]

Awesome, loved his other books so really looking forward to this.

Questions for jschreier :

• How did you find the adjustment of going from writing for Kotaku's audience to Bloomberg's?
• What article of yours are you most proud of?
• FInally, anything you can share on the KotOR remake? And what exactly was Son'y involvement in it? A YouTuber called 100% Star Wars said they heard from a source at Aspyr that Sony was displeased with their version because they wanted something closer to God of War.

 

[etiira]

Thank you! I very much enjoyed your recent appearance on Remap and am looking forward to the book.

 

[jschreier]

jschreier what's the "latest" you managed to get in to in the book? I believe in your Friends Per Second podcast appearance you mentioned you were pitching the book two-some years ago and that's when the California government case happened and it became a bigger case study?

But then of course, the ABK Microsoft deal happened and information came out over that process followed by Odyssey being cancelled, Chris Metzen returning to WoW and other layoffs happening. But editing needs to end at SOME point.

So, how much has recent events been covered in the book or is it not as important or interesting as a writer to cover because all of that has been public vs the more hidden, intimate and elusive aspects over the other 31 years of Blizzard's history?

And thank you for the giveaway, AMA, and congrats on the launch.

Click to shrink...

The book ends around February of this year, just after the mass layoffs that hit after the Microsoft acquisition. It covers Odyssey, Metzen's return, and some other pivotal events that happened in the months after the deal closed.

 

[psynergyadept]

How fun! Congrats on the new book and thanks for hosting an AMA! Simple question(s) from me:

jschreier

What's you current game of the year? Any runner ups or honorable mentions? Surprise hits?

Also I salute you and your campaign for hyping Octopath Traveler II last year!!!🫡

 

[Tommy Showbiz]

Can't wait to read the book, have had it pre-ordered for ever.

I have a couple of questions jschreier, there was a long-time rumor that Blizzard was working on a mobile port of Overwatch. Was that just smoke or was it just quietly canceled?

Second question, but you talked recently about how there were animated projects in development at Netflix before Activision sued them and the entire deal was scuttled, but was there anything actually tangible in the works with stuff in pre-production or was the whole thing scuttled before any real work was done on these?

 

[r_rose]

I really enjoyed his other books!

 

[datik]

Hi Jason - heard you on Besties pod the other day. It was a great episode!

Do you feel there is still some of the creativite spark hidden somewhere in the current state of Activision Blizzard? Could it be rekindled somehow? Or should we give up our hopes for another groundbreaking title at the scale of SC, Hearthstone, Diablo 2, etc .?

 

[vixolus]

The book ends around February of this year, just after the mass layoffs that hit after the Microsoft acquisition. It covers Odyssey, Metzen's return, and some other pivotal events that happened in the months after the deal closed.

Click to shrink...

Cheers! I look forward to reading the book. The anecdotes and snippets I've read have all been pretty captivating

 

[Mocha Joe]

Hi Jason,

Very excited to read your book. Amazon says it's coming in tomorrow (I wish I had a local book store nearby but alas I don't).

I don't really have an interesting questions that hasn't been asked or answered before so just want to say thank you for all the work, reporting, and journalism that you do. I love reading every single bit of it. 🙂

 

[dodo667418]

Awesome giveaway and thanks for the reminder that the book is out! Can't participate as someone from Europe but I'll make sure to grab the Kindle version

I have the utmost respect for your job and will continue to be interested in whatever news and content you put out because it's always worth checking out!

 

[Grips]

Sweet I wouldn't mind having his work displayed around here.

 

[doops.]

yo, jschreier - favorite starter pokemon?

 

[Ryudo]

Oh wow I didn't even know Jason has another book coming out. I own the other two and very much enjoyed them. I'll have to add this to my radar.