Blizzard President Joanna Faris said the company is able to provide a “robust launch frequency.”
Conversation with BloombergThe chief executive said his audience wanted one or two big launches a year, and the gaming giant's boss believes it can meet that demand.
“We have an iconic IP and in many ways it still has room to grow, so let's focus on the cards we have to play,” Faris explained.
“That doesn't mean we won't explore new places and territories, but for now let's focus on all the iconic status we have in the tank for Blizzard. This is number one.
“I would say the other part of the vision is that I believe our best days are ahead of us. I really, truly believe this. I also believe that we are in a position to think about ensuring a reliable launch frequency. Our fans are hungry. They want to participate. They also want to feel reliable. “one or two really important things that Blizzard brings to the table, and if we can fine-tune our program accordingly, which we think we've done, we can stay focused by leveraging the multi-franchise opportunities we have.”
In terms of how Faris wants Blizzard to balance live games and new projects, the executive admits it's a complex task that requires significant logistics.
“There are three pillars in my mind: the people aspect of our organization, the products we put out and planning,” she said.
“On paper it's not that exciting, but planning allows us to think both in the short term, what's happening tonight – here's Paladin – but also where are we with Diablo in four years? And how do we organize the right meetings, discussions and talents to be able to manage this, to be able to work in parallel? “Hey, do you know where this will be in three years?” They do. And I think we're very excited. And then the difficult conversations arise: If we have live games, what do you do? How to do this? How do you manage these different models? What models do we want to continue to maintain, increase or decrease?”
Faris joined Blizzard as President in January 2024. having previously led the Call of Duty franchise as general manager. The studio's recent releases have been expansions for the venerable MMO World of Warcraft and Diablo IV, the latter of which was its last standalone release in 2023. That same year, the company released a free-to-play mobile game, Warcraft Rumble, but the title was closed this summer along with employee layoffs.
