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Play Nice : The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier (2024, Hardcover)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherGrand Central Publishing

ISBN-101538725428

ISBN-139781538725429

eBay Product ID (ePID)22065343721

Product Key Features

Book TitlePlay Nice : the Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment

Number of Pages384 Pages

LanguageEnglish

TopicProgramming / Games, Industries / Computers & Information Technology, Video & Electronic, Industries / Entertainment

Publication Year2024

GenreComputers, Games & Activities, Business & Economics

AuthorJason Schreier

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.6 in

Item Weight20 oz

Item Length9.4 in

Item Width6.2 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2024-014052

Dewey Edition23

Reviews"As it turns out, the turbulent history of game developer Blizzard Entertainment is just as absorbing as any of the AAA titles it has produced. . . Jason Schreier takes the reader through three decades of incredible highs and appalling lows that let you in on what was going on behind the scenes while gamers were voraciously consuming blockbusters like StarCraft, Diablo, and World Of Warcraft."-- AV Club, "A fast paced thrill ride, perfect for anyone who has ever played a video game. Jason Schreier's comprehensive history of Blizzard Entertainment offers a completely enthralling look at the company's founding and the bitter battle for its future. A must read!"-- Ben Mezrich, New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires, Dumb Money, and The Midnight Ride., "Jason Schreier's Play Nice is a riveting chronicle of one of gaming's most iconic companies. With gripping detail and unmatched access, Schreier pulls back the curtain on Blizzard Entertainment's meteoric rise, turbulent history, and struggle to balance uncompromising creativity with corporate America's unyielding pursuit of profit. Play Nice is a must-read exposé of the passion, ambition and dysfunction behind some of the most beloved games of all time." -- Bradley Hope, co-author of the New York Times bestseller Billion Dollar Whale, "One of Schreier's great strengths is that he can control a crowd. He brilliantly maintains many different threads -- corporate, personal, artistic -- while giving so many coders, designers and money-minded executives their due, all without putting too much strain on his book's momentum." -- New York Times Book Review, "Jason Schreier is the closest thing video games have to David Grann. Fearless, intrepid, and always fair-minded, Schreier gets at stories no one else can. He makes clear that the history of Blizzard is a microcosm of a larger, uglier story: the clash between shareholder capitalism and creativity, the unseemly corporate toleration of bad behavior, and the exploitation of workers who in many cases sacrifice their youth to make wealthy people even wealthier. This is riveting, essential reading for anyone who cares about how art is made in the twenty-first century." -- Tom Bissell, author of Extra Lives, PRAISE FOR JASON SCHREIER "Schreier writes lucidly and entertainingly. For neophytes, PRESS RESET is a useful introduction to the business of videogames. For those who play... the book may prove compulsively readable." -- Wall Street Journal on PRESS RESET, "Jason Schreier's PLAY NICE is a gripping narrative not just of a single influential company but the evolution of the entire video game industry, changing from a niche pursuit to one of the largest cultural products in the world. This is vital reading for anyone hoping to understand the state of entertainment in the 21st century. Video games are an unavoidable force; PLAY NICE breaks down the genre as well as the personalities behind it."-- Kyle Chayka, author Filterworld

Dewey Decimal338.477948

SynopsisA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND AN NPR BEST BOOK OF 2024 From a New York Times bestselling author and investigative journalist comes The Social Network for the video game industry, a riveting examination of Blizzard Entertainment's rise and shocking downfall. For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company behind classics like Diablo and World of Warcraft was known to celebrate the joy of gaming over all else. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission -- to make games they wanted to play -- launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars. But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside. Glitchy products, PR disasters, mass layoffs, and a staggering lawsuit marred the company's reputation and led to its ultimate reckoning. Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, Play Nice chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment, showing us what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, this is the story of what happens when the ruthless pursuit of profit meets artistic idealism., New York Times bestselling author and the gaming industry's preeminent investigative journalist Jason Schreier examines three decades of ups and downs at Blizzard Entertainment leading up to a hostile corporate takeover and a sexual misconduct scandal that put the legendary developer in a world of (Warcraft) trouble. For video game fans, the name Blizzard Entertainment was once synonymous with perfection. The renowned company behind classics like Diablo and World of Warcraft was known to celebrate the joy of gaming over all else. What was once two UCLA students' simple mission - to make games they wanted to play - launched an empire with thousands of employees, millions of fans, and billions of dollars. But when Blizzard cancelled a buzzy project in 2013, it gave Bobby Kotick, the infamous CEO of corporate parent Activision, the excuse he needed to start cracking down on Blizzard's proud autonomy. Led by executives from McKinsey and Procter & Gamble, Activision began invading Blizzard from the inside. Glitchy products, PR disasters, and mass layoffs followed, marring the company's once pristine image. Then, in 2021, a staggering sexual misconduct and discrimination lawsuit against the company triggered a widespread reckoning and a shocking $69 billion acquisition. Based on firsthand interviews with more than 300 current and former employees, PLAY NICE chronicles the creativity, frustration, beauty, and betrayal across the epic 33-year saga of Blizzard Entertainment. From previously unrevealed stories of Blizzard's early culture, including fist fights and a hotel ban, to the full story of Titan, Blizzard's most high-profile canceled project, and the behind-the-scenes saga of how Blizzard executives battled their Activision overlords tooth and nail, this book explores the delight and despair of what it really means to "bleed Blizzard blue." Full of colorful personalities and dramatic twists, PLAY NICE is The Social Network for the video game industry.

LC Classification NumberHD9993.E452S36 2024

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item 1 Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future Of Blizzard Entertainment