Blizzard President Johanna Faries shared these insights in a recent interview with Bloomberg. She clarified that the studio’s definition of “major projects” extends beyond standalone titles to include significant expansions and updates, all while leaning heavily into the company’s core franchises.
“I am viewing this through a five-year lens. We possess iconic franchises with immense untapped potential, so our goal is to focus on their growth. By managing our lineup as a strategic portfolio, we want to ensure Blizzard launches at least one or two truly major projects every calendar year. With the right scheduling, we can maintain a steady market presence by harnessing the power of our multi-franchise ecosystem.”
Since the Microsoft acquisition, Blizzard has pivoted toward a more consistent release cadence, moving away from its previous history of long development gaps and reliance on smaller updates or microtransactions. This shift is already in motion; Diablo Immortal launched in 2022, followed by Diablo IV in 2023, which generated over $1 billion in revenue.
According to Faries, these “major projects” encompass both entirely new entries and substantial expansions, such as Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred and World of Warcraft: Midnight.
Source: iXBT.games