Who makes it · Developer and publisher

Blizzard Entertainment

Based in Irvine, California, United States Founded 1991 Part of Microsoft Gaming (Xbox)

Blizzard makes World of Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Hearthstone and StarCraft, and runs the Battle.net store. It earns money from World of Warcraft subscriptions, game and expansion sales, and in-game purchases such as battle passes and cosmetic shops in free-to-play games like Overwatch, Hearthstone and Diablo Immortal.

Track record HarmfulWorst badge: Serious findings

On the record 8dated events, each with a source

In the guide 4games it made or published

Track-record badges

What stands out, worst first

Company facts

Makes: Developer and publisher
Based in: Irvine, California, United States
Founded: 1991
Ownership: Subsidiary of Microsoft (Xbox) since 13 October 2023 via Activision Blizzard; part of Vivendi Games from 1998 and of the publicly listed Activision Blizzard from 2008 to 2023. Diablo Immortal was co-developed with NetEase, which also publishes Blizzard games in China.
Parent: Microsoft Gaming (Xbox)
Also credited as: Blizzard

Official website · Wikipedia

About these badges

Hexagon badges describe a company's track record, using the same colours as the money ratings: Harmful for serious findings down to Fair for good practice. They attach to the company, not its games, and never change a game's money verdict or addictive-design score. All company badges

Track record

What's on the record, newest first

9 September 2026Labour
About 1,900 workers ratified first union contract
Nearly 1,900 Blizzard workers ratified their first union contract with Microsoft after more than two years of bargaining, with terms on generative AI, crediting, remote work, layoff notice, severance and recall rights. The unions were recognised under Microsoft's labour neutrality agreement.
Kotaku
16 January 2026Investigation
EU consumer regulators investigated Diablo Immortal spending design
Italy's competition authority opened investigations into Activision Blizzard alleging misleading and aggressive in-app purchase practices, unclear virtual currencies and weak default parental controls in Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile. The EU consumer protection network announced a coordinated action on the same games on 30 September 2026. No finding had been published in the sources reviewed.
Italian Competition Authority (AGCM)
23 January 2023Other
Blizzard games went offline in mainland China after NetEase deal ended
After Blizzard and NetEase failed to renew their 14-year publishing agreement, World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Overwatch 2 and other Blizzard games stopped operating in mainland China in January 2023. The companies signed a new agreement in April 2024 to bring the games back.
The Verge
2 October 2022Game preservation
Shut down the original Overwatch servers
Blizzard took the servers of the original Overwatch, a paid game, offline on 2 October 2022 so that the free-to-play Overwatch 2 could replace it on 4 October.
Eurogamer
July 2021Workplace
California sued Blizzard and its parent over discrimination and harassment
California's civil rights agency sued Activision Blizzard, Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Publishing alleging unequal pay, discrimination and harassment of women; the company disputed the claims, and employees later staged a walkout over its response. An approximately $54 million settlement over pay and promotion discrimination claims was announced in December 2023 and approved by the court on 17 January 2024; the claims were settled, not adjudicated.
California Civil Rights Department
8 October 2019Other
Banned Hearthstone player over Hong Kong protest statement
Blizzard removed professional Hearthstone player Chung 'blitzchung' Ng Wai from a tournament, withheld his prize money and banned him for 12 months after he voiced support for Hong Kong protests on a broadcast. After criticism, Blizzard restored his prize money and cut the ban to six months, saying its decision was not influenced by its relationships in China.
GamesIndustry.biz
8 March 2019Labour
Cut more than 200 US jobs in parent company restructuring
A US layoff notice showed more than 200 job cuts across Blizzard's US operations, mostly in IT and marketing, as part of the roughly 800 layoffs Activision Blizzard announced in February 2019.
GamesIndustry.biz
25 April 2018Regulator action
Belgian regulator found Overwatch loot boxes broke gambling law
The Belgian Gaming Commission concluded that paid loot boxes in Overwatch, FIFA 18 and CS:GO were games of chance subject to gambling law, and Belgium's justice minister said they were illegal and must be removed. The commission later recommended prosecution of the publishers, including Activision Blizzard.
Eurogamer