World of Warcraft has suffered another loss. A long-time developer is leaving Blizzard and wants to start something new.
In recent months and years, there have been repeated reports that leading figures in the World of Warcraft team have left one after the other – or been fired. Now another person who has played a leading role in WoW in recent years has disappeared.
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What did John Hight do? John Hight spent a total of 12 years at Blizzard and was most recently the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the entire Warcraft franchise – this includes not only World of Warcraft, but also Hearthstone and Warcraft Rumble.
After joining Blizzard in 2011, he served as a senior producer for World of Warcraft Mists of Pandaria and production director for Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. After filling the role for WoW: Battle for Azeroth, he subsequently became the game’s franchise general manager.
Why does Hight work? On X, High spoke out and announced that he is leaving Blizzard. He also thanked the community and praised them for their passion. He says:
After 12 incredible years at Blizzard, I have decided to step down and start a new quest.
This was a tough decision, but I think now is a good time to do it: Warcraft is in a fantastic position as the universe turns 30 years old.
It has been an honor to serve all the heroes of Azeroth.
You are the most passionate, dedicated, and creative community in gaming. You are the reason I put my heart and soul into making the best games possible. You have inspired me, challenged me, and made me a stronger developer.
Where is Hight going now? What Hight plans to do next is not yet clear. But it seems that he at least wants to stay anchored in video game development. Because he continues:
I can’t say exactly where my journey will take me now, but I’m excited to explore new opportunities and challenges in the industry and continue to create great games with talented people.
In the future, Hight wants to continue to experience World of Warcraft – but only as a player and no longer in a leadership position. We will certainly hear in the coming months and years where he ends up. After all, many other Blizzard employees have since founded new studios or joined other companies – such as Ghostcrawler, who is working on a new MMORPG.