I worked for Blizzard Entertainment
You might not know me, I’m no-one particularly important, and that’s ok. I’m from Johannesburg, South Africa I didn’t do particularly well in school, and I didn’t go to university. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life and I never expected it to be where I am today, living in France working for Blizzard Entertainment. My story isn’t incredibly unique, and I think many people have unusual paths that have taken them on unforgettable journeys, this is just mine, well part of it anyways.
I was reminded of a campaign I once worked on when I was still living in South Africa. It was for Blizzards StarCraft II. The company I worked for, Megarom, was the distribution company for Activision Blizzard but it was rare that we actually got to work on a Blizzard title. I remember the buzz in the office, everyone knew that it was a big deal. We almost immediately started thinking of ways to market and communicate about the product.
I remember two things we did for the launch of StarCraft II, and the first was hosting an invitational tournament for esports pros to face off at a nightclub. It was filled with media and some special guests, retail partners and the like. Sure it wasn’t what we know esports events to be today, it was a small gathering, but it was enjoyed by all who attended. I worked hard, and I had flu, but I was determined to make it through the event and ensure everyone had a great time.
The second was involving our partners at ASUS who wanted to get in on the StarCraft II buzz, fans of the game themselves they were eager to help out however they could. We came up with an idea of creating a custom painted ASUS gaming laptop. I found an airbrush artist to paint the lid of the laptop. She was incredibly talented and ended up doing two of these lids for us. She painted the top during our local gaming show rAge. We created a competition where one lucky winner would be able to win this incredible one-of-a-kind (two-of-a-kind, long story for another time) laptop.
It was a fantastic piece, and I hoped that we had delivered the same love, passion and quality that we felt from games that Blizzard produced. And for a those few moments, I felt like I was part of Blizzard, a company I had admired throughout my youth, and career.
You wonder at points in your life if you’ll ever be able to reach certain heights in your career and your life. I always wondered, hoped and dreamed of being able to work at Blizzard, what must it be like? I didn’t know at the time, what my future would hold but damn if I wasn’t going to try and reach it. I don’t know if it was just pure drive, determination to prove others wrong or just being in the right place at the right time.
“… I made it.”
Fast Forward to today, and I’ve been working at Blizzard for just over four years. I can’t describe the thrill I felt walking into that building for the first time, and being recognised as a Blizzard Employee knowing that I belonged. It was knowing that I made it. What’s more, is I was responsible for my own franchises to lead and work and develop communication strategies for Europe. And yes, one of them was StarCraft.
“I’m not expecting anything from you”
My first two weeks at the company were so nerve-wracking. A mixture of nervous energy, insecurity, and omg omg omg. I think it’s only natural to ask these types of questions. Am I in over my head? I can do this right, they wouldn’t have hired me otherwise, right? Can I live up to these giants of industry? What if my ideas are too small or not creative enough to live up to their expectations? I would go home, nervous that I had gone too deep and put myself in a terrible predicament. After all, I now worked at Blizzard Entertainment, one of the biggest gaming companies in the world.
Guy, the director of communications, (and now my very good friend) pulled me into his office one day. “How are you feeling Devon? Is everyone helping you get on board?” I always felt like I could be honest with Guy, and I had said that it’s been a bit overwhelming, and I’m struggling to find my feet. He told me, “I’m not expecting anything from you right now”, reading that you must think he was a bit cynical, but it came from a place of empathy and understanding. I know he was sincere, but I didn’t want to let up too much, I wanted to prove myself in this place. After all the amazing campaigns, opportunities and activities, I believe I did just that.
Not long after that, I bumped into Sami (also a very good friend), he was the project manager on my franchise team. He asked if I had been on the tour of the office yet, I said no, and he said if you have some time now I’ll take you for a tour. It was honestly, one of the nicest gestures, he didn’t have to, but he wanted to. I soon realised that this empathy and warmth didn’t come from just a few people, it was most of the people at the company.
From Oliver giving me small nudges of encouragement to pitch a new idea that he thought we could get behind, to Alex and my other French colleagues ‘eager’ to help me with French bureaucracy. My colleagues were recognising me as an expert in my field and taking on board my thoughts and comments. You quickly start to feel a sense of community. I ignorantly thought that I had a unique story getting to Blizzard, a boy from a country far away with a long-distance girlfriend (now wife). You soon start to realise that a lot of people share the same stories. It was in that way I realised that for a lot of people working at Blizzard, the people at work became their close friends and family.
“in retrospect Blizzard is just a corporation, a business selling its products to the entertainment and joy of its consumers.”
Looking from the outside in, you learn a lot about how everything works. You realise that everything is fallible and nothing is perfect. Blizzard was much the same, in retrospect Blizzard is just a corporation, a business selling its products to the entertainment and joy of its consumers. Yes, my dream is coming to an end, and I’ll soon be closing this chapter of my life.
I have gone through many emotions recently, and I’ve been reminded of the many memorable campaigns and activations that my team and I have done through these four, short, incredible years. I’m reminded that what I perceived as the most outstanding company in the world, was outstanding because it was filled with the most extraordinary people. The company certainly provided the platform for this ecosystem to work, and I think that’s primarily owed to people such as Mike Morhaime for setting up values that employees could relate and call upon.
“It takes a Blizzard”
To the friends I’ve made, and the friends that have already gone. Thank you for welcoming me into this family, that is Blizzard. My dream has been fulfilled, and I will treasure it for the rest of my life. I know where-ever you go, you will succeed in your career. There’s a saying in the Blizzard ecosystem whenever we as a company pull-off a monumental achievement, such as Gamescom/BlizzCon, or any other activity that requires multiple teams and resources. We always say, ‘It takes a Blizzard’ this is always a reminder of the efforts from so many people that not one person can take sole credit. If I can so boldly add that it takes people to make a Blizzard.