Best years of my career happened here and more are still to come
Pros
Genuinely amazing workplace. I know there are a lot of folks out in social media and reddit who believe Blizzard is "losing its soul" but it can't be further from the truth. Yes, there were some major decisions that happened earlier in the year and quite a few personal friends and colleagues were affected. It hurt, and it still kind of does but that doesn't mean Blizzard isn't still doing what we set out to do. This isn't the first time I've lived through an organizational leadership change and it won't be the last. I can share that for a fact, Blizzard handled this in a much more mature and transparent manner than most other companies I've worked at. The company still holds true the values that are embossed around the Orc statue in our main quad and leadership is very serious about making sure they don't disrupt the culture here at the company. With our main focus now being on games - they are definitely getting the most attention but that doesn't mean the rest of us are shafted in any regard. In fact, I honestly don't think much changed from the past 2-3 years in terms of my team's culture and activities. If you're scared of what you've heard on social (yes, we all have phones) don't worry too much about it. Blizzard is still an amazing place to work and I am still excited everyday coming in to see what the new challenges are and what we're planning.
Cons
- Strong focus on games teams means they get almost all the resources they ask for. Some people feel shafted but it doesn't really hinder most other teams as much as it's made out to be. - Management transition - it's never an easy task and most of us are still waiting it out to see how the new team will lead us into the future. I'm optimistic and willing to wait patiently to see what happens. Feels weird but so far, so good. - Wish I got paid more.... but don't we all? - 401k match could definitely be better - Health insurance could really be cheaper - gets very expensive with 2 kids + spouse on the plan at the current rates.