Play Nice

The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment

By: Jason Schreier

Narrated by: Ray Chase

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.

©2024 Jason Schreier (P)2024 Grand Central Publishing

Critic reviews

“Here’s a thrilling adventure story from the untamed, online wilderness of modern capitalism. Think Barbarians at the Gate, but with digital dragons and blood-thirsty trolls. Gaming is now a more powerful and influential business than Hollywood, and Jason Schreier has delivered a masterful narrative that shows how the industry really works.”—Christopher Leonard, New York Times bestselling author of Kochland and The Lords of Easy Money

“A fast paced thrill ride, perfect for anyone who has ever played a video game. Jason Schreier’s comprehensive history of Blizzard Entertainment offers a completely enthralling look at the company’s founding and the bitter battle for its future. A must read!”—Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires, Dumb Money, and The Midnight Ride.

"Jason Schreier's Play Nice is a riveting chronicle of one of gaming's most iconic companies. With gripping detail and unmatched access, Schreier pulls back the curtain on Blizzard Entertainment's meteoric rise, turbulent history, and struggle to balance uncompromising creativity with corporate America's unyielding pursuit of profit. Play Nice is a must-read exposé of the passion, ambition and dysfunction behind some of the most beloved games of all time."—Bradley Hope, co-author of the New York Times bestseller Billion Dollar Whale

"Jason Schreier's PLAY NICE is a gripping narrative not just of a single influential company but the evolution of the entire video game industry, changing from a niche pursuit to one of the largest cultural products in the world. This is vital reading for anyone hoping to understand the state of entertainment in the 21st century. Video games are an unavoidable force; PLAY NICE breaks down the genre as well as the personalities behind it."—Kyle Chayka, author Filterworld

"Play Nice is the ultimate insider account of the creation of some of the most beloved games ever, and a colorful portrait of the computer-game gold rush. Who knew that behind the scenes of Warcraft and Overwatch was a story of power plays, betrayals, and quests for glory as epic as the games themselves?"—Zeke Faux, author of Number Go Up

Fantastic write up on a legendary company

I loved every second of the dive into Blizzards history. I wish there was more on the topic of the law suits, and “insider” stories

Another fantastic book

Jason Schrier kills it again with an exceptionally researched piece on Blizzard entertainment. The focus on one studios entire history keeps this book from feeling entirely as exciting as Jason’s previous works, but it’s still a fantastic book nonetheless.

Great insight. Worth a read for any gamer.

A great example of how corporate greed flows into a company and sucks the life out of it until it is ruined. Apply this same formula to any company and you can almost predict how bad a company will get.

Great book. Great reporting.

Great story

Probably my favorite book from the author. A great telling of the story of Blizzard from its foundation to today.

Great book

I wish the story was a bit more concise. There is a lot of disjointed moments

Fascinating

Incredible insight into the history of one of the most influential game companies. The things you may think you know are given new context. Jason did it again, and I’m so very thankful for that

More excellent documentation of the industry

I wish it had been longer, but trust that Jason Schreier included everything worth reporting and clearly he had some good sources.

The book does rely on pretty strong knowledge of the games industry to contextualize HOW MUCH of a impact Blizzard had on the genre so I guess I also would have liked more of where developers went after Starcraft, Diablo, Warcraft, etc. or how other developers adjusted to their best in class games up until the free to play era where things seemed to lose shape for them.

Excellent reporting

Jason makes another excellent edition to his stable of books. As a long time Blizzard fan, I especially enjoyed the inside baseball presented in this book. So many great quotes and stories put together from all the Blizzard people over the years. I love his reporting and how he presented everything.

The history of Blizzard with important context from interviews

I expected it to be more sensationalist than it ended up being, and that’s a good thing. I think it tells the story of Blizzard with journalistic integrity and respect for the truth and the unknowns, and I appreciated that. An easy and interesting listen, read well by Ray Chase.

A Revealing Inside Look Into a Renowned Entertainment Juggernaut

This was a great, all-encompassing synopsis of a sometimes mysterious corporation with new revelations and previously unknown facts that will fascinate anyone who has ever speculated about the inner workings of one of the biggest names in gaming.

Throughout the listen I was surprised by Jason's ability to weave a coherent narrative out of various sources, projects, and insidious rumors of corporate politics.