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A shock for Blizzard
Blizzard are mourning the loss of four top staff members today. In a move that took Blizzard's remaining staff by surprise, the three co-founders of the company Eiich Shaefer, David Brevik and Max Shaefer and the vice president, Bill Roper, upped sticks and have left to start their own small development studio.
The decision was allegedly prompted by the restructuring of the company's management by owners Vivendi Universal, who acquired Blizzard as part of a buyout of Cendant's software properties in 1998. The staff who are leaving cited an increasing distance between themselves and the development process as a major factor in the decision, although there appears to be no bad blood between Blizzard and the four leavers. VP Bill Roper said;
"I have absolutely no doubt that they will keep fighting the good fight. We tried to leave them in a good place, and I honestly expect that Blizzard will continue to make great games...We made a very difficult decision [to leave]. We love everyone at Blizzard."
None of the four that have left are under any continuing obligation to Blizzard, so they're free to get on with the important business of developing the games. There is no indication of what new projects may be on the horizon, but since these are the very people who helped create top games like Diablo, Warcraft and Starcraft (as well as lesser known console hits Lost Vikings and Rock'n' Roll Racing) we'd bet our grandmothers on them having a hit on their hands before too long.
We'll have more on the new studio and it's projects as soon as they decide what's going on, so stay tuned.
It sounds like a good plan first off, but we have to remember not all such bold moves come off, Richard Garriot, aka Lord British, the mastermind behind the Ultima Series, did a similar thing post Ultima IX, and has gone onto little else since. But I hope i'm not the only one in hoping this move does indeed pay off.