Blizzard’s Warcraft general manager John Hight has announced his departure after nearly 13 years at the company.
Earlier this week, Hight announced on his Twitter that he was leaving Blizzard to start “a new journey.” While Hight has been at Blizzard for the last decade overseeing the development of the World of Warcraft series, he has been in the gaming industry for many years, first at 3DO and later at other studios such as EA, Atari, and Sony. PC Gamer noted that he worked on God of War 3 and helped launch the PlayStation Network.
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Hight discussed his decision to leave Blizzard on Twitter, saying, “After 12 amazing years at Blizzard, I’ve decided to leave and start a new journey. This has been a difficult decision, but I feel like now is the best time: World of Warcraft is in an amazing place and the universe is turning 30. I’m honored to serve all the heroes of Azeroth.” He continued in a follow-up tweet, “You are the most passionate, dedicated, and creative community in gaming. You are the reason I work so hard to create the best game I can. You have inspired me, challenged me, and made me a stronger developer.
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“I also want to express my immense gratitude and confidence in the teams and leaders who support all of the World of Warcraft games. I know you will take World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and Rumble to new heights, and I can’t wait to experience your vision with the rest of the community. As for the next steps in my journey, I don’t have any specific details to share yet, but I’m excited to explore new opportunities and challenges in the industry and to continue making great games alongside incredibly talented people.”
In an earlier interview with PC Gamer , High spoke about his expectations for Legends, sharing that he “gets to work with all these people, and these people are going to do great things. So my legend is that they’re going to remember me in some form or another. This goofy little guy saw potential in me and gave me a chance.”
Hight’s departure follows several high-profile departures from Blizzard in the past few years, including Mike Ybarra and Allen Adham, as well as former Overwatch 2 vice president Jon Spector.
