>>717898443 (OP)
Well, the earliest point that things can be identified as going wrong is when Blizzard started having financial troubles before the release of Wraith of the Lich King in 2008. They gave up a large amount of control of the company in the Activision Blizzard merger. With the necessary cash infusion they were able to complete the expansion, but the next expansion already showed the signs of outside influence.
With the additional manpower, and funding brought in by Acivision, and the altered board of directors changes were being made. Much of the earlier quest design, and game was wiped away. A new character was introduced, and started the trend of "World ending event of the week." while neglecting the "warcraft" component entirely.
Many players complained, and the the board answered. They would bring back a character from the earlier lore. They would have the faction conflict playing a major role. They brought us the kung fu pandas. This did not go well for a number of reasons, and Blizzard took all the wrong lessons from this major tonal shift. More furries ranting about peacecraft, less war, more cataclysmic events, same tone from here on out.
The final, and most obvious shift that can be pointed to is the change in personnel with the term DEI being popularized at Davos 2016, and Blackrock investing starting to administer ESG scores to companies shortly after. This changes the investing climate to bring on diverse personnel, something a major megacorporation like Acitivision Blizzard depended on.
