{"id":102032,"date":"2024-10-05T11:22:09","date_gmt":"2024-10-05T10:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegeek.games\/?p=102032"},"modified":"2024-10-05T11:22:09","modified_gmt":"2024-10-05T10:22:09","slug":"blizzards-downfall-andy-weir-now-a-sci-fi-legend-bullied-and-fired-i-was-absolutely-devastated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thegeek.games\/2024\/10\/05\/blizzards-downfall-andy-weir-now-a-sci-fi-legend-bullied-and-fired-i-was-absolutely-devastated\/","title":{"rendered":"Blizzard’s Downfall: Andy Weir, Now a Sci-Fi Legend, Bullied and Fired \u2013 “I Was Absolutely Devastated!”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Bloomberg editor Jason Schreier is set to release his new book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment<\/em>, which, as the title suggests, delves deep into Blizzard\u2019s rise and fall as a game developer. According to an excerpt shared by Ryan K. Rigney on X, Weir not only worked at the studio but also suffered \u201cbullying\u201d<\/em> for asking to be compensated for overtime. Specifically, the writer was rejected, ridiculed, or simply ignored and became \u201cthe target of endless bullying at the office.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people were horrible to me. I have to assume I brought this on myself in some ways,\u201d<\/em> Weir, who was a programmer at the time, told Schreier. Although Weir made some mistakes in his work, no one was willing to teach him anything about the field. Less than a year later, Blizzard fired him. \u201cThis was a dream job for me, working at Blizzard,\u201d<\/em> Weir said. \u201cI was absolutely devastated.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Fortunately, Weir decided to leave programming behind and pursue a different career. Now, he\u2019s made a fortune with his science fiction books. In fact, the movie adaptation of The Martian<\/em> grossed $630 million worldwide, which is $200 million more than the official Warcraft<\/em> movie.<\/p>\n This isn’t the first time Weir has spoken about his Blizzard experience. Back in 2015, the author held a Reddit Q&A where he left the following message: \u201cI lived through a terrible time at Blizzard. The mid-1990s were a tough time to be a programmer. The hours were crazy. You were awake, you were at work. I got burned out.\u201d<\/em> Now, this story is being revisited in Schreier\u2019s new book.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the only story shared in Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment<\/em>. Schreier also delves into Blizzard\u2019s failed projects, including Project Titan<\/em>, a successor to World of Warcraft<\/em> that cost $80 million and six or seven years of lost opportunities<\/em> before being canceled in favor of Overwatch<\/em>.<\/p>\nProject Titan: The $80 million failure that never surpassed World of Warcraft<\/h3>\n