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Play Nice

The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment

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Play Nice

De : Jason Schreier
Lu par : Ray Chase
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 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—"A fast paced thrill ride, perfect for anyone who has ever played a video game" (Ben Mezrich).

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.
Histoire et culture Programmation et développement de logiciels

Commentaires

“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
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I found the book to be very balanced and fair in its reporting, if a little on the dry side - definitely attuned to the sensibilities of business people as well as gamers.
I also felt that a major point had not been made (or not been made enough) about Diablo Immortal’s announcement: what angered fans, in my opinion, was not the fact that Blizzard was developing a mobile game, but the fact that it would dare announce it on Blizzcon’s main stage and pretend to believe that attendees would be excited. Blizzard fans could tolerate a mobile game, but not a single one of them would think it exciting or on the level of typical Blizzard announcements. Trying to conjure that excitement was at best incredibly naive, and at worst, an attempt at gaslighting. Everybody knew that the move was a business decision and not a gameplay-focused one. Blizzard’s attitude was a slap in the face of the people it had declared a « family », and I can only compare it to parents consistently crafting superb, spectacular personalized birthday cakes for their child every year, making them a highlight that the child would look forward to more than anything else, then suddenly replacing them with a Happy Meal and exclaiming « Don’t you like McDonald’s? »

A balanced and thorough analysis of Blizzard’s troubled history

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As a long term blizzard fan, this is hands down the best audio book I had the pleasure to listen to.

Amazing

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As a life long Blizzard fan starting with Warcraft 2, the book took me through the whole spectrum of emotions, from fond memories to deep sadness and through deep anger. Some stories I knew were confirmed, the other gave me insight on the people's adventure that has been and is creating, pioneering and growing a business where nothing is predictable. Thank you tonthe author and may Blizzard get to restore it's glory and give us more beautiful memories. En taro Zeratul !

An emotional journey

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