It has been a known fact for a long time. Look at all the franchises:
SC2 is what I’d call the last bastion of Blizzard (every other franchise has been touched by Activision in a major way). IAPs and loot box systems have been introduced to all others:
- Hearthstone - We have HS to thank for the prevalence of loot boxes today. They made RNG popular.
- Heroes of the Storm - Dead game (as officially declared). Plus they attempted to move to a loot box system for the skins for some time.
- Diablo - Hail Diablo Immortal if anyone recalls the ‘April Fools’’ joke. D4 hype is IMO overrated because it looks exactly like D3 with slightly better graphics (just my own opinion, you don’t have to agree). It seemed like a game that was created in haste to appease the fans after the outrage.
- World of Warcraft - Pay to level up, people. Pay $ for gold. Pay for your new pet. Let’s not forget bots that are left alone because:
- Banning too often will giveaway the banning criteria;
- Bots are, in a sense, paying customers too.
- Overwatch - Loot box for skins.
Let’s not forget that there has been a lot of other matters:
- Stories about employees being laid off, only to have their role put up for rehire with more responsibilities.
- France office closure (was it France?)
Blizzard is long gone. It no longer exists. What is left is a money minded Activision.