Bloomberg has an excerpt from Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment, a new book by Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier that will hit digital and physical shelves on October 8th (thanks GS). The title spoils the reveal here, as the segment digs into the downfall of Blizzard Entertainment under the ownership of Activision after once being able to do no wrong in the eyes of gamers. The excerpt discusses the turning point when Activision boss Bobby Kotick's hunger for more product and profit finally drove Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime out of the company. It seems reductionist to view this as a story of good versus evil, but that's pretty much how it reads. Here's word on what happened when too much of Blizzard's culture became assimilated:

People around Morhaime worried that his fights with Activision were taking a toll. (He’d already submitted a resignation letter in 2017, but Kotick and Blizzard colleagues close to Morhaime had persuaded him to walk it back.) In the spring of 2018, after the One ABK off-site, Morhaime realized he’d lost and began to quietly talk with other Blizzard executives about a succession plan.

On Oct. 3, 2018, Morhaime announced he was stepping down. He didn’t offer much of an explanation in public, writing in a blog post that he’d “decided it’s time for someone else to lead Blizzard Entertainment.” But those who worked closely with him knew why he’d left: He was tired of fighting with Kotick. “He looked like a second-term president,” said one former executive who asked not to be identified.