A manager at Activision Blizzard's Blizzard unit, who oversaw World of Warcraft Classic, departs after internally criticizing the company's stack ranking system
A manager at video game developer Blizzard Entertainment said he was ousted after refusing to give a low evaluation to an employee …
BloombergJason Schreier
Context & Ripple Effects
Blizzard’s workplace practices were already under scrutiny after the company’s response to the Activision Blizzard lawsuit included a leadership dismissal and the hiring of a law firm described as union-busting. Its HR chief also departed during that period, while Blizzard publicly committed to culture change.
The departure allegation shifts attention from misconduct complaints to how Blizzard’s performance-management process operates for managers and individual employees, including on the team responsible for World of Warcraft Classic.
First-order effects
The departing World of Warcraft Classic manager alleges he was pushed out after declining to assign a low rating, putting Blizzard’s stack-ranking process and its handling of internal dissent under direct scrutiny.
Blizzard’s culture-change commitment now has to contend with an allegation that a manager faced retaliation over a personnel decision.
Second-order effects
Employees and managers evaluating Blizzard’s workplace reforms gain a concrete test case for whether HR and performance-review policies protect independent judgment.
Recruiting and retention for Blizzard teams may be shaped by whether the company can distinguish its current management practices from the workplace failures highlighted in its earlier lawsuit fallout.
Third-order effects
If performance-management disputes become part of the same accountability arc as misconduct complaints, game publishers’ culture reforms will be judged not only by disciplinary actions but by routine systems for evaluation, promotion, and manager oversight.
The trend: Workplace accountability at major game studios is expanding from misconduct investigations to the day-to-day management systems that determine employees’ careers.
I wasn't intending to make this public, but apparently its in the news already, so I'd at least like to set the record straight. I am no longer an employee of Blizzard Entertainment, though I would return if allowed to, so that I could fight the stack-ranking policy from inside.
NEW: One of the leads of World of Warcraft Classic has departed Blizzard in protest of the company's stack-ranking system, saying he was forced to give an employee a lower evaluation than that employee deserved in order to hit a quota. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Brian put his job on the line to stand up for what he believes was the right thing to do for employees. ABK's executive management was so inflexible they terminated him. His leadership and courage is why he's one of the best managers I've worked for. Thank you, Brian. https://twi…
Blizzard fires WoW Classic lead after he protests employee evaluation policy that required him to give low performance reviews to employees in order to meet a quota What a terrible policy! https://www.pcgamer.com/...
The World of Warcraft Classic lead, Brian Birmingham, wrote in a fiery email to staff that he refused to continue working for Blizzard after he was told to give a “Developing” ranking to a “Successful” employee. He called on other leads and directors to protest as well.
huge props to Brian for the integrity on this. Being forced to give a report a lower evaluation than they earned is heinous, with devastating material and psychic consequences for that employee. I'm sad for the Classic team but I hope this costly departure triggers a change. http…
But ABK is a problematic parent company. They put us under pressure to deliver both expansions early. It is deeply unjust to follow that by depriving employees who worked on them their fair share of profit. The ABK team should be ashamed of themselves.
I'm told the forced stack-ranking policy is a directive that came from the ABK level, ABOVE Mike Ybarra. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it's true. Everybody at Blizzard I've spoken to about this, including my direct supervisors, expressed disappointment about this policy.
Yet again, just watching huge enterprise businesses operate teaches you everything you should never do in your own business. Today: stack ranking your employees — grading them on a curve with a forced low-performer quota. Human “resources” indeed. https://www.pcgamer.com/...
Since 2021, Blizzard has used a quota-based system that forces managers to give ~5% of employees a low “Developing” ranking. Those employees receive lower profit-sharing bonuses and have a harder time getting raises and promotions.
And to wrap up I want to again clarify that I was surprised to see the Bloomberg article below. I did NOT provide them the email they're quoting from, but I believe the quotes are accurate. They have neither spoken to me nor reached out to me in any way. https://www.bloomberg.com…
Another Activision employee coming forward. Here's more inside proof that ATVI leadership ruins everything they touch. It's not the creatives. It's their bosses. Games industry is due for a big change. Thank you for educating us Brian! 🫡 https://twitter.com/...
This reads like a carbon copy of Hasbro. It's evil what corporations do to the human beings that make it all possible. There's no other word for it. https://twitter.com/...
Blizzard Exec: “Dave we have to let you go. You've been wearing common gear forever and your DPS is the lowest in the raid. I'm afraid you'll have to turn in your tabbard and vacant the stronghold. These two Paladins will escort you to your gryphon.” https://twitter.com/...
World of Warcraft Classic's lead engineer has quit after refusing to give employees arbitrary low evaluations for “stack ranking” quotas: https://www.pcgamer.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Brian is one of the best leads I've ever worked with. He made me a better worker just by working with him. I can't believe the colossal mistake Activision is making by firing him. He was one of the most passionate people on WoW Classic and was the heart and soul of the team. http…