Benedikt Oehmen

I started training other new community managers that joined us for different games and different languages. So I naturally grew into a managerial position.

I started training other new community managers that joined us for different games and different languages. So I naturally grew into a managerial position.

where then later on i had my own team of seven people for the seven different languages that we were looking after and i helped them do the jobs that i did in the past but for their specific language communities it was really a magical time like we couldn't believe we got so lucky to be working at the single best company in gaming and having this for a job making money with it and

where then later on i had my own team of seven people for the seven different languages that we were looking after and i helped them do the jobs that i did in the past but for their specific language communities it was really a magical time like we couldn't believe we got so lucky to be working at the single best company in gaming and having this for a job making money with it and

basically having this second family away from home. We all felt like we found a second family in Blizzard because everybody was excited and passionate about the same things. And we spent time together doing work and then we played together after work and we saw each other on the weekends for drinks and parties and other things. So it was really our entire world together.

basically having this second family away from home. We all felt like we found a second family in Blizzard because everybody was excited and passionate about the same things. And we spent time together doing work and then we played together after work and we saw each other on the weekends for drinks and parties and other things. So it was really our entire world together.

where the people at blizzard and the jobs that we were there there for doing and that changed somewhat over the years as blizzard emerged with activision which is a big publisher in the gaming industry and the priorities for blizzard to our eyes started to shift

where the people at blizzard and the jobs that we were there there for doing and that changed somewhat over the years as blizzard emerged with activision which is a big publisher in the gaming industry and the priorities for blizzard to our eyes started to shift

going from how can we make this the best most engaging experience for our players to how can we make more money with this and how can we make this graph go up more quickly and money is after a couple of years everything that we heard in discussions which

going from how can we make this the best most engaging experience for our players to how can we make more money with this and how can we make this graph go up more quickly and money is after a couple of years everything that we heard in discussions which

was a strong departure from the original values that brought me to blizzard making the most epic experiences with gamers for gamers then it came in 2018 so a long way so i started in 2005 so 2018 was then 13 years in There was an announcement saying, hey, we need to save money globally and in our office here in Versailles specifically, we need to reduce our overall amount of people by 30%.

was a strong departure from the original values that brought me to blizzard making the most epic experiences with gamers for gamers then it came in 2018 so a long way so i started in 2005 so 2018 was then 13 years in There was an announcement saying, hey, we need to save money globally and in our office here in Versailles specifically, we need to reduce our overall amount of people by 30%.

And that was a shock to us because many of us, we started with Blizzard as our first company. And as I said, it really felt like a family. And all of a sudden we were to say goodbye to a third of that family. And we didn't know if we were impacted ourselves. So a lot of different and difficult emotions came up for everybody. We felt shocked. Oh, how can that be?

And that was a shock to us because many of us, we started with Blizzard as our first company. And as I said, it really felt like a family. And all of a sudden we were to say goodbye to a third of that family. And we didn't know if we were impacted ourselves. So a lot of different and difficult emotions came up for everybody. We felt shocked. Oh, how can that be?

Like we've been doing so well and I thought we are still doing well. And yeah, it was a really hard time for everybody involved and people had many different reactions because in France, after the announcement, it took about a year. before that reduction actually took place.

Like we've been doing so well and I thought we are still doing well. And yeah, it was a really hard time for everybody involved and people had many different reactions because in France, after the announcement, it took about a year. before that reduction actually took place.

So there was a phase for about half a year, three quarters of a year, where people could volunteer to leave so that the 30% would be filled up with volunteers as much as possible. And during that timeframe, it was getting increasingly difficult because a couple of people said, there's too much pressure. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I just want to get out. And they left ahead of time.

So there was a phase for about half a year, three quarters of a year, where people could volunteer to leave so that the 30% would be filled up with volunteers as much as possible. And during that timeframe, it was getting increasingly difficult because a couple of people said, there's too much pressure. I don't want to deal with this anymore. I just want to get out. And they left ahead of time.

I, for myself, decided I wanted to stay around to help my team through this process. And it turned out my team was completely gone at the end of the process because they reduced the entire community team to one person instead of around 10.

I, for myself, decided I wanted to stay around to help my team through this process. And it turned out my team was completely gone at the end of the process because they reduced the entire community team to one person instead of around 10.