Twice yearly, Blizzard staff get bonus checks tied to product success. Each has a target number, getting a percentage if company goals are met.
These bonuses matter for Blizzard’s pay. While salaries aren’t as high as some rivals', they make up with bonuses from hits like World of Warcraft.
Bonuses come in August for the first half of the year, and March for the previous year’s second half.
In August 2023, Overwatch 2 team heard they might not get bonuses due to poor game performance, but later, they were told they’d get none.
This change came in 2023, linking bonuses to specific game success, not overall company performance. Games like Diablo and World of Warcraft teams got bonuses, but not Overwatch.
Blizzard and Activision clashed over this for years. Blizzard’s old leadership wanted company-wide bonuses to encourage new ideas, but Activision preferred rewarding successful product teams.
This tension worsened the Blizzard-Activision relationship, influencing Blizzard’s acquisition by Microsoft.
New Blizzard president, Johanna Faries, from Activision, is reviewing profit-sharing and other unpopular policies.
Overwatch sequel’s uncertain fate led to no bonuses. Originally PvE-focused, Overwatch 2 scaled back, facing challenges as a free-to-play game.
Poor sales of paid PvE content and layoffs affected bonuses. Remaining PvE content won’t be finished; focus shifts to PvP.
Despite challenges, some on Overwatch 2 team hope focus on PvP will help, but Blizzard must address morale and retention issues.
Source
These bonuses matter for Blizzard’s pay. While salaries aren’t as high as some rivals', they make up with bonuses from hits like World of Warcraft.
Bonuses come in August for the first half of the year, and March for the previous year’s second half.
In August 2023, Overwatch 2 team heard they might not get bonuses due to poor game performance, but later, they were told they’d get none.
This change came in 2023, linking bonuses to specific game success, not overall company performance. Games like Diablo and World of Warcraft teams got bonuses, but not Overwatch.
Blizzard and Activision clashed over this for years. Blizzard’s old leadership wanted company-wide bonuses to encourage new ideas, but Activision preferred rewarding successful product teams.
This tension worsened the Blizzard-Activision relationship, influencing Blizzard’s acquisition by Microsoft.
New Blizzard president, Johanna Faries, from Activision, is reviewing profit-sharing and other unpopular policies.
Overwatch sequel’s uncertain fate led to no bonuses. Originally PvE-focused, Overwatch 2 scaled back, facing challenges as a free-to-play game.
Poor sales of paid PvE content and layoffs affected bonuses. Remaining PvE content won’t be finished; focus shifts to PvP.
Despite challenges, some on Overwatch 2 team hope focus on PvP will help, but Blizzard must address morale and retention issues.
Source
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