Blizzard ends Warcraft Rumble development as company reportedly slashes up to 100 jobs
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Blizzard is ending development on Warcraft Rumble and will only provide limited live ops support moving forward amid Microsoft’s sweeping games division cuts.
In a statement, the company said support for the title will now focus on “regular, systemic in-game events and budget fixes, but no new content”.
Development on the title was said to have begun nine years ago, eventually launching in 2023. The title struggled to find a long-term audience, generating approximately $74m from player spending across the App Store and Google Play according to AppMagic estimates.
Blizzard said the move to end development has resulted in some job cuts. Though it didn’t put a figure on this, Aftermath reports Activision Blizzard employees putting the total number of job cuts at the developer at 100 staff. As well as the Warcraft Rumble team, redundancies were said to affect its marketing and customer service teams.
“Struggled to find its footing”
“Warcraft Rumble began development nine years ago as a love letter to Azeroth and launched back in 2023, reflecting input from enthusiastic players around the globe and the effort of a passionate team – some of whom continue to support Rumble or other Blizzard games, and some we’ve had to sadly part ways with,” read a statement.
“Since launch, Rumble has struggled to find its footing relative to our ambition for its long-term success, and for some time now the team has been listening to player feedback, refocusing in certain areas, and exploring different options. Some of that work showed signs of progress, but ultimately wasn’t enough to put the game on a path to sustainability.
“During this transition, we are focused on supporting our teammates. We’re deeply grateful to everyone at Blizzard and in the community for helping bring Warcraft Rumble to life and embracing the joy that makes this game so special. Your enthusiasm and feedback mean the world to us.”
Sweeping cuts
Earlier today, it was reported by The Seattle Times that Microsoft would lay off around 9,100 employees, approximately 4% of staff.
A Microsoft spokesperson claimed to PocketGamer.biz that the “overall impact represents less than 4% of the company’s global workforce”.
When asked for clarification on the exact figures, they declined to provide further information and linked to other media reports repeating this claim.
It was also stated that while gaming is impacted, it does not represent the majority of cuts. No specifics were provided, however, nor was it clarified whether it had the most layoffs of any division at the firm.
“We continue to implement organisational and workforce changes that are necessary to position the company and teams for success in a dynamic marketplace,” said the spokesperson.
Microsoft’s games division has faced severe cuts today. Bloomberg reported that Candy Crush Saga developer King was cutting 10% – or approximately 200 staff – from its team. Meanwhile, Video Games Chronicle reported that Sea of Thieves developer Rare has been hit by layoffs, along with the cancellation of in-development title Everwild.
Elsewhere, Windows Central reported that ZeniMax Media’s marketing team in London and the US has been slashed, while IGN sources said the Perfect Dark reboot has been cancelled and The Initiative studio has been shut down.
