Rob Pardo leaves Blizzard

[Spriggs]

http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/13348514719

"Every ending is a beginning and today marks a new beginning for me.

After 17 years at Blizzard, with long and careful contemplation, I have made a difficult and bittersweet but ultimately exciting decision to pursue the next chapter in my life and career.

Before I even joined Blizzard, I was already a huge fan of the company and its games. In particular, I was extremely passionate about the emerging genre of real-time strategy games. It was a dream come true when I was given the opportunity to work on StarCraft, which at the time was being created by a very small team by today’s standards. It was tremendously fulfilling to get to know everyone on the team personally and to contribute our energies toward a shared goal in such a creative and engaging environment.

Blizzard Entertainment has been simply the best place in the world to be a game designer. The best aspect of designing games at Blizzard is that the entire company is passionate about the gameplay within each and every product. From the executive team to customer service to our global offices, every single person is a player and contributes to making the best possible games. It’s for very good reason that the first credit on every Blizzard game is “Game Design by Blizzard Entertainment.”

I’m really proud of the contributions I was able to make to Blizzard’s accomplishments. From building lasting games, to supporting the growth of eSports, to extending the Warcraft world into a feature film, and of course to being able to celebrate our shared passions with the Blizzard community online and at BlizzCon.

The Blizzard community is ultimately the reason why we come to work every day and pour our souls into every world and experience we create. Blizzard’s players are the most passionate in the world and your commitment and dedication are truly awesome to behold. Creating entertainment for you has been an incredible opportunity, and I know that you will continue to grow and become even stronger as a community over the years to come. It has been so meaningful on a personal level to help create joy for all of you.

I’m looking forward to new challenges in my career, but I will always cherish the time I spent with you all and the amazing and collaborative teams at Blizzard. It was both satisfying and humbling, and it made me a better developer and a better person. I look forward to playing Blizzard games as a player for many years to come. Most important, now I have plenty of time to learn how to build a competitive Hearthstone deck.

As to what I will be doing next, I don’t have an answer for you yet . . . but I will “when it’s ready.” My priorities are to enjoy the summer with my family, play plenty of games, and think about what’s next. The game industry is such an exciting place right now with PC gaming thriving, the new consoles, mobile games, and virtual reality becoming an actual reality. It’s like having an empty quest log and going into a new zone for the first time.

In the past, I haven’t been the most avid Twitter user, but I’ll strive to do better and keep you updated there—@Rob_Pardo. Please stay in touch!

Rob"

[Abstieg]

That's a big departure.

[threads]

Yea did not see that one coming.

[Eliandal]

In before the conspiracies start flying (and this is probably going to be worse, far worse then GC's firin...I mean departure :P)

Good for him though, hopefully it's to do something he truly enjoys (and that could be just family)

[Baladash]

who? /ducks

[apepi]

Who?????????

[Sarix]

who? /ducks

Just looked him up apparently he's the "Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard Entertainment." Whatever that means.

[CosmicGuitars]

That's huge news. Bittersweet, but I think it can only be a good thing. Blizzard needs fresh blood in their upper management.

[Deleted]

This does not bode well, and I am not trying to be a negative Nancy. Good luck to him wherever he goes.

[Byucknah The Red]

Oh god... GC Leaving did not worry me, I was not a fan of his ideology when it came to WoW... But Rob Pardo leaving? That scares the everliving shit out of me! I ain't going to do any doomsaying, but this is seriously a huge hit to Blizzard, a lot bigger than I feel a lot of people will think it is.

Here is hoping his next venture is fruitful though, I hope nothing but the best for him.

That's huge news. Bittersweet, but I think it can only be a good thing. Blizzard needs fresh blood in their upper management.

Its a slippery slope and a double edged sword... New blood can create some innovative changes just as much as it could *$&@ up whats already good.

[Deleted]

That's quite a surprise; the tone of his post sounds like one of relief (as in, relief to be leaving), but 17 years in the same job/company is a really long time and very few people stay in a job for that long these days. Good luck to him!

[Tulzurak]

Good luck to him in the future, but yes, this is a very big departure.

[Shampro]

Good luck to him in his endavours. More fresh blood can be good for a company as old as Blizzard.

(inb4 conspiracy theories)

[Barnabas]

Sounds to me like he got fired. Who would just walk away from that type of pay and job without any plans?

[Deleted]

That was... unexpected. Did not see this coming. Ah well, I wish him all the best on his future endeavors and hope we will hear from him again soon!

[blackblade]

That's quite a surprise; the tone of his post sounds like one of relief (as in, relief to be leaving), but 17 years in the same job/company is a really long time and very few people stay in a job for that long these days. Good luck to him!

Especially in technical fields.

[Amerissis]

What was his job exactly?

[Khaza-R]

A lot to miss about Rob leaving. Most especially his Orc voice acting

[Herecius]

Sounds to me like he got fired. Who would just walk away from that type of pay and job without any plans?

He isn't really saying he has no plans, just that he isn't ready to talk about them. I highly, highly doubt he was fired.

- - - Updated - - -

What was his job exactly?

He's been a lead designer or major designer for almost every Blizzard game. He was one of Blizzard's earliest employees, and was its Chief Creative Officer.

[Blade and Soul]

Wow...

This is a huge departure.

EDIT:



Rob Pardo was the Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard Entertainment. Previously he was the Executive Vice President of Game Design at Blizzard Entertainment, and prior to that the lead designer of World of Warcraft.

He has had his hand in almost every Blizzard game that has been released in the 17 years he has worked at the company.

This is a very sad and stunning departure from Blizzard Entertainment, and I'm sorry to see him go.

I know this will start a lot of rumors and conspiracies, but all in all just a sad day.

I wish Rob Pardo the best and I thank him for all the work he has done on the games I enjoy so much, and the impact he has made on the video game industry as a whole!

P.S. I figured it better to place here instead of the video thread as it directly relates to Rob's departure.