They Create Worlds

TCW Podcast Episode 221 - North to Hellgate London   In a pseudo part three of our look at Condor and Blizzard North, we explore the troubles the company faced after a year and a half of crunch. David, Max, and Eric were all burned out along with the rest of the staff. David was going through a divorce and had trouble putting his heart into figuring out what the next game would be. Due to lack of leadership and a proper chain of command, many employees felt frustrated switching games over and over. At the same time, the expansion, Lord of Destruction, was completed after a year of development with no crunch. Through a combination of bad corporate structure, not empowering middle management, factionalism, and troubles with Blizzard's corporate owners being bought and sold amid their own scandals, David, Eric, Max, and Bill Roper from Blizzard South went on to form Flagship Studios and work on Hellgate: London. Unfortunately, the game was not well received due to expectations exceeding the financial and technic