MARCH 4, 2008 • Blizzard Ent. has traded its long-time home in a nondescript business park in Irvine for the former headquarters of Broadcom Corp. in the same city. The new home for the World of Warcraft creative team boats 240,000 square-feet, 65% more space than the studio’s old location, to house more than 1,000 employees. The site is large enough to allow a private museum of Blizzard novelties, a gym, two basketball courts, a sand volleyball court, a theater and a game library.
Impact: With success comes interior decorators. Given 10 million-plus WoW subscribers, the upcoming StarCraft 2, and the proximity to Newport Beach, Calif., is a company yacht far behind? In all seriousness, how grand an operation’s office space is a clear indicator of how powerful that enterprise is within its industry. EA’s multiple expansive campus’ are a prime example of the rule. Few game studios have had the steady string of successes that Blizzard has, and given the merger with Activision, there’s probably some added perception incentives to being seen as a powerful partner.
