Blizzard will no longer offer employees the Blizzard Holiday Plan, a lucrative end-of-year bonus program, according to the Activision Blizzard 2018 Proxy Statment.
The program seems to have been quite beneficial for some employees, and was instituted before the Activision Blizzard merger, according to Gamespot.
The news comes just one day after Blizzard’s co-founder and president Michael Morhaime announced that he is stepping down and will be replaced by J. Allen Brack. Morhaime will still serve as a strategic advisor.
Morhaime would have received nearly $370,000 through the bonus program, which is 37% of his base salary.
Program participants’ salaries will be adjusted to apparently include an amount equal to 2017’s bonus payout. In a footnote, it notes that “Mr. Morhaime’s base salary was adjusted to reflect the inclusion of an amount equal to the payment he received under the Blizzard Holiday Plan for 2017 (i.e., $369,218).”
The loss of a bonus problem is concerning as it comes at a tenuous time in the gaming industry, rife with layoffs and studio closures and a demand for better working conditions for game developers.
Blizzard, however, is having a good year. Just last month, a report from SuperData revealed that Blizzard’s “World of Warcraft” had a record number of subscribers since 2014, as players enjoyed the new Battle for Azeroth expansion.
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