Now before you think this a troll thread about the recent changes hang in there for a

[jasen]

Blizzard HQ is like 15 minutes drive from Disneyland and not that far from Burbank where the Disney HQ resides. PROXIMITY
A lot of the art-style of Hearthstone is turning Disney-like and Overwatch is almost a Disney ripoff. COMPATIBILITY
There is a focus to keep things family friendly and as politically correct (by California standards) as possible to smooth out any hesitancy for outside investors. POLISH
The reaction to the lawsuit was to sacrifice ANY and ALL scapegoats regardless of investigation results and purging any record pf their existence. SELLABILITY
Pushing out almost all the old-guard from Blizzard to reduce any resistance to the acquisition. PLIABILITY
Appeasing China. CHINA

I've had that nagging thought since I watched the first Overwatch cinematics and the art and animation style were very close to Disney, but I dismissed it as just a outsized influence of Disney on artists due to the very close proximity. But the more big-name talents left Blizz and the game was slowly turning into a Monthly Active User hamster-wheel for fans, long term outlook was starting to look fuzzy. So it hit me, Blizzard is being propped up to transition from a cash cow to a cash grab. And corporate are doing the seductive mating dance just for Disney's eyes. The Art, the Movie, the investor friendly but customer unfriendly decisions, the double-speak.. it kinda fits, doesn't it? And Blizzard is no stranger to being handed from one big corporation to another.

I bet the plan was around the time they stopped sharing sub-numbers because of "the cyclical nature" of wow subs.

I am sure there are much smarter and more importantly, patient people who can dig more concrete evidence to prove -or disprove- this theory. But I believe that it won't be so long now that Blizzard would be up for sale so the Bobby will keep seeing Activation in the sweet sweet green.

[Edge-]

Please keep discussion to existing threads. We already have a specific thread for the Disney theory, oddly enough - https://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...-out-to-Disney

And broader discussion can go in the primary thread - https://www.mmo-champion.com/threads...-By-California