Blizzard’s creative powerhouse Chris Metzen recently announced that he was retiring and it seems he isn’t the only one leaving the company. World of Warcraft‘s lead quest designer Craig Amai and senior creative director James Waugh have also revealed their plans to venture elsewhere.
While Amai and Waugh can’t compete with Metzen’s tenure of over two decades, both have spent a fair chunk of time at Blizzard — 12 years and eight years respectively — long enough to be considered important cogs in the company’s game-making machinery.
Amai made his intentions known via a great, insightful post on his website, whereas Waugh took advantage of Twitter’s brevity to keep things short and sweet.
Goodbye, Blizzard. It was a joy making the most epic entertainment experiences… ever with you. What a journey! pic.twitter.com/3EX6KKYvG5
— James Waugh (@Waughtang) September 17, 2016
Neither mention what they’ll be doing next — though Amai alludes to an eventual return to Blizzard, just not WoW — but I imagine the pair will enjoy a breather in the interim.
@Waughtang / Departing from WoW [Twitter / Craig Makes Games, via PCGamesN]
Comments
5 responses to “Two More Blizzard Veterans Part Ways With The Studio”
well thats it…. inc huge changes to the game again
Is there something happening at Blizzard that we don’t know about?
maybe, or maybe they just want to try something new. I’ve been in the IT industry for about 20 years now and I’ve changed jobs 3 times. the current job I’m in is lasting the longest because I feel like I’m constantly learning and being challenged.
i know it’s very cliched but you know what you parents / teachers / mentors have (probably) told you is true. as you grow older, your desires change and that applies whether it’s your personal or professional life
Happens in every industry. People come and go as their interests change and. Old guard passes the torch to the new watch.
This could be good as Blizzard need some fresh brains working their magic.