Blizzard learned about The Remarkable Life of Ibelin only when the independently made documentary was nearing completion—after its team had spent three years animating World of Warcraft scenes without the company’s permission. Director Benjamin Ree then screened the film for Blizzard executives, and later told the Associated Press that they said they would grant the rights. Netflix acquired the documentary; it was not a Netflix-produced Warcraft feature.
Which World of Warcraft film is this?
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin is a documentary about Mats Steen, a Norwegian player who died at 25 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In World of Warcraft, Steen was known as Ibelin. The film is separate from the 2016 live-action Warcraft feature and uses animated scenes to portray Steen’s life in the game.
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Why did Blizzard hear about it so late?
The filmmakers developed the documentary independently in Norway. Director Benjamin Ree wanted to show Steen’s virtual life, so he hired game-video creators, including animator Rasmus Tukia, to recreate experiences using World of Warcraft models. The team shaped the scenes as a cinematic interpretation rather than a literal imitation of gameplay.
They spent three years animating Steen’s experiences without Blizzard’s permission, showing drafts to some of his online friends for feedback. Ree approached Blizzard only when the film was nearing completion. The reporting describes this sequence; it does not establish why the team chose to wait until that stage.
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What happened when Blizzard saw the documentary?
Ree traveled to Blizzard’s California offices to screen the film for executives. The Associated Press reported his account of their response: “We showed them the film and right after we saw they were crying. The boss turned around and said, ‘This film is fantastic. You will get the rights.’”
That is Ree’s account, as reported by AP—not a published licensing agreement. The available reporting does not specify the contract terms, the exact scope of the rights, or when any paperwork was completed.
How did the filmmakers reconstruct Steen’s story?
The animation drew on a large archive of conversations and other game logs saved by Steen’s online community, Starlight. TIME reported that the archive totaled about 42,000 PDF pages; Ree had about 4,000 pages to work through while developing the narrative. Those figures describe the community’s archive and the material Ree examined, respectively—not the number of pages shown in the film.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was the documentary made by Netflix?
No. The documentary was independently produced, and Netflix later acquired it, according to AP. Calling it a “Netflix World of Warcraft film” can therefore blur two different facts: Netflix acquired the completed documentary, while the production team made it independently. The available reporting does not establish its current streaming availability in every country.
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- Format: DVD
- Language: English
- Subtitle: English, Korean, None (All removable)
- Region Code: Region 0 (1/2/3/4/5/6)
- Screen: NTSC / Wide Screen Color
Sources: Associated Press, October 25, 2024; TIME, October 25, 2024.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Includes DVD
- Can Also Be Used as a Refresher for Those Who Used to Be Able to Read Music But Have Forgotten How
- Standard Notation
- Publisher: Music Sales America
- 80 Pages
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