Keep in mind this is most likely a move from the brokers and stock holders than blizzard themselves. Behind the games, the communities, the company, is a greedy company of men in suits who want nothing but to marginalize profits and only profits. They don't care about the consumer, they don't care about the well being of the company so long as they get paid and stocks go up.
Every since the Blizzard/Activision joint happened, you can notice a steady trend in shady practices that start to arise. Team leaders, project managers, and the people sitting behind the desks at blizzard have no control over their projects anymore. From this point on, it's money and money only.