Diablo boss Rod Fergusson is leaving Blizzard for a 'new adventure'

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 11: Rod Fergusson attends the BAFTA Games Awards 2024 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on April 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Shane Anthony Sinclair/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Five years after leaving Gears of War studio The Coalition to take the reins of the Diablo series at Blizzard, Rod Fergusson is calling it a day.

"After five years driving the Diablo franchise with four big launches, it’s time to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next," Fergusson wrote on Bluesky. "I’m proud of what we’ve built and excited for what’s ahead for Diablo, and for me."

In 2020, he declared it was "time for a new adventure" and made the move to Blizzard to oversee the Diablo series, following the departure of Blizzard co-founders Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce a year earlier. He had a good run at Blizzard, helping shepherd Diablo 4 to success, but he also suggested that we start referring to Diablo-style ARPGs as "Diablo-likes," similar to soulslike or roguelike, so I guess it's pretty much a wash.

"When I joined Blizzard five years ago, I had two main goals (besides getting my sword!): to revitalize one of my favorite franchises of all time, and to have a meaningful impact on the company I admired," Fergusson wrote in a longer farewell message on LinkedIn. "And it is with great pride and gratitude that I can now look back on this period of my career and say that not only did I achieve those goals, but having the privilege of leading this team alongside some of my favorite people in the world and shipping amazing experiences for our players helped me to grow—as a leader, and as a person.

"The Diablo franchise, in its almost 30 years, has never been stronger and more relevant than it is right now, thanks to the hard work of the many passionate and talented Diablo team members over these five years. From the return of a classic in D2R, to the bold leap into mobile with Immortal, to the record-breaking launch of Diablo 4 and its first expansion Vessel of Hatred: each of these games form the foundation upon which the teams will continue to build the franchise’s’ bright future."

Fergusson has thus far provided no hint as to his post-Blizzard plans, but one theory, put to me by PC Gamer pal Tyler Colp, is that he's heading back to 2K to help get BioShock 4 back on track, as he did with BioShock Infinite. It sure seems like it could use the help, and the timing is certainly interesting: It was reported last week that 2K Games is dissatisfied with the state of the game, to the point it removed the head of BioShock 4 studio Cloud Chamber and shifted the creative director to a different position.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

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