Rod Fergusson, formerVice President of BlizzardandGeneral Manager of the Diablo franchise, has officially announced that he’s leaving the company in search ofnew challenges.
In the gaming industry, there are executives whose names truly matter andFergusson is one of those key figures.
A Veteran Leader Departs in Search of New Challenges
His career spans decades of major contributions: from working at Microsoft as a programming lead, to joiningEpic Gamesto directGears of War, moving toIrrational Games(BioShock),2K Games, andBlack Tusk Studio.
He later becameStudio Head at The Coalition, where he returned toGears of Warbefore eventually joining Blizzard to helmDiablo. Now, afterfive years at Blizzard,the same amount of time he spent at The Coalition — Fergusson is closing this chapter, once again leavingunder the Microsoft umbrella.
Announcement Made via Social Media
The announcement came via X/Twitter, where Fergusson confirmed his departure from bothBlizzardand theDiablo franchise:
“When I joined Blizzard five years ago, I had two main goals:revitalize one of my favorite franchises of all timeandmake a meaningful impactat a company I admired,” he wrote on LinkedIn.
Looking back, Fergusson says he feels “proud and grateful” to have achieved those goals and to have had theprivilege of leading an incredibly talented and passionate Diablo team. He highlighted that, in its nearly30-year history, Diablo “has never been stronger or more relevant than it is right now.”
Although he didn’t reveal where he’s headed next, Fergusson teased that we can “expect more details about my next adventure soon.”
Having recently contributed toVessel of Hatred, he decided it was the right time to move on. Back in 2024, he joked about how fate had brought him back to Microsoft for a “third tour,” but now, it’s time toexplore new frontiers.
