Beyond the big iron gates of Irvine’s Blizzard Entertainment Inc. is a world of fun, games, fantasy and suspended adolescence masquerading as work.
Blizzard, the largest maker of video games played on the Internet, took over its 235,000-square-foot office campus after Irvine chipmaker Broadcom Corp. left in 2007 for its current home near the University of California, Irvine.
The place looks a lot different than when Broadcom engineers roamed the halls.
For one, there’s a giant statue of an orc—a fearsome character from the Blizzard’s “World of Warcraft” series of games—standing sentry in the quad.
The Blizzard “uniform” seems to be a black T-shirt and jeans. Flip-flops are common.
And forget small, stuffy cubicles. Blizzard’s 1,100 local employees have room to spread out, and they decorate their workspaces to their hearts’ content. Many look more like college dorm rooms.
“The overall environment is really cool and creative,” said Chief Operating Officer Paul Sams, who has been at Blizzard since 1994. “It’s a really fun work environment.”
The atmosphere at Blizzard, part of Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard Inc.—itself a unit of France’s Vivendi SA—makes the company a unique entry on the Business Journal’s inaugural list of Best Places to Work in this week’s issue.
The company ranks No. 12 in the large company category (see special report insert).
Virtual Autonomy
Blizzard is a big source of profit and growth for Activision Blizzard. That affords the Irvine operation virtual autonomy to run things the way it always has.
The company’s headquarters has the feel of a college campus. There’s a library, museum and a cafeteria with fresh, cheap eats.
There’s even a sort of exchange program that allows workers to do stints at Blizzard offices around the world, such as in Paris, China and South Korea.
One big difference between working at Blizzard and co-ed life: you get paid for playing video games.
Nearly all of Blizzard’s employees are players of its games, which have a cult-like following.
“We are working on games that we all want to play and we all want to make,” Sams said. “A big part of what makes Blizzard successful is that we hire gamers.”
Of course, Blizzard employees work hard. There are crunch times before a game launches. And the company has to live up to its own high standards and those set by the millions who play its games.
Blizzard is Orange County’s largest software maker by sales, with about $1.3 billion in yearly revenue.
It’s best known for the “World of Warcraft” series played online by some 11 million people around the world who’ve shown little signs of cutting back during the recession.
The company creates and operates what are known as “massively multiplayer online games,” where Internet users interact with each other online by adopting roles in fantasy worlds.
To outsiders, working at Blizzard might seem like a fantasy world of lavish benefits and perks with profit sharing, bonuses, retirement matches, tuition reimbursements, a free onsite gym, yoga classes, visits by a chiropractor and masseuse and subsidized cafeteria meals and snacks.
Being Fit Big Deal
For workers—who mostly do their jobs parked in front of a computer or two—staying fit is a big deal, according to Sams.
Blizzard’s campus has a sand volleyball court, lighted full and half courts for basketball and is situated alongside trails in the hills behind Irvine Spectrum Center.
Blizzard’s gym has showers and towel service. The equipment is top of the line—each cardio machine has a screen with a satellite TV feed.
The food, drinks and snacks sold at the cafeteria and vending machines are subsidized. The healthier items are cheaper than junk food.
Bottled water goes for a quarter. Sodas are more but still cheaper than most vending machines.
“We charge more for sodas because we are trying to give incentives for people to drink things that are better for them,” Sams said. “We want our employees to feel that they can get things here for a price that’s equal to or less than if they went out, so it’s more convenient.”
The interior of Blizzard’s offices are nice, though dark.
That’s the preferred mood lighting of Blizzard’s programmers, graphic designers and game developers.
Workers sit in bays with a few teammates. They are encouraged to personalize their spaces, which Sams affectionately calls “the bull pens.”
“We’ve really made a huge push to beautify each of the development teams and make it a comfortable and more enjoyable place to work,” said Shane Dabiri, 37, a lead producer on one of Blizzard’s development teams who’s worked there for 15 years. “Each team is going into a space that’s interesting and fun, instead of going into white walls with iridescent lights every day.”
Some are decked out with wacky decor—including pirate, tiki and 1980s themes.
“The culture at Blizzard is really lighthearted,” said Ben Brode, 27, an associate game designer who’s been at the company for six years. “Because everyone loves what they do, there’s a feeling of hanging out.”
Like a Dorm
The maze of hallways are interrupted every so often by common areas, much like in a dorm house.
These are lounge areas with big leather couches and big TVs with video games.
“In order to make the best games in the world, we have to know what other games are out there and to have passion for gaming,” Sams said.
Another big perk at Blizzard is the swag.
The old standbys for corporate service awards—watches, pens, cufflinks—don’t fit in here.
“When you hit five years at the company you don’t get a lapel pin, you get a sword,” Sams said.
At 10 years, employees get a Paladin shield, a special bit of gear used by a “World of Warcraft” character.
At 15 years, employees get a platinum ring that looks like a class ring.
Other goodies include Blizzard comic books, trading cards and books based on the fantasy-themed storylines of the company’s video games.
There also is a holiday gift that’s a collectible item.
One year, the gift was a detailed desktop-size replica of the orc in the courtyard.
Each worker gets a free “Word of Warcraft” account and discounts on related gear.
There are a lot of events throughout the year beyond the standard summer picnic and holiday party.
BlizzCon, a two-day fan convention that takes place every summer at the Anaheim Convention Center, brings Blizzard workers in touch with adoring fans.
This year’s event drew some 27,000 fans. Blizzard pays for its employees around the world to attend.
Wrapping up production on a game earns workers a party in Las Vegas.
“It’s a good time,” Sams said. “If it’s during the work week, we pay them as if they were working.”
The company also hosts a Halloween costume contest and a “Guitar Hero” battle of the bands where it erects a massive stage, complete with lights and other special effects.
Last year’s winning band spent thousand of dollars on elaborate costumes (think big hair and Spandex) and pyrotechnics.
Blizzard workers tend to skew young, and are overwhelmingly male.
Most are proud to be considered geeks who love video games, science fiction and other nerdy passions.
“You really feel safe being as geeky as possible,” Brode said.
