Man, okay, so here’s the thing. Blizzard’s big cheese on the Diablo scene – some guy named Rod Fergusson, if you’ve heard of him – decides to peace out after, like, five years? I guess he’s off to chase something new. And honestly, this dude’s been everywhere. Epic Games, The Coalition, you name it. Kind of like that one friend who’s way too good at fixing everyone’s messes. He’s the guy they call when things get… sticky. Helped them push Diablo IV out the door in 2023, plus he rode the whole seasonal update wave, whatever that means. And oh, last year? There was this expansion called The Vessel of Hatred. Intense name, right?
So, Fergusson wrote this thing on LinkedIn, though why anyone admits to that is beyond me. Basically, he talks about his goals – other than snagging some cool sword, which, let’s be honest, is the real main goal. He wanted to breathe life back into the series he loves to bits and be a big-deal influence at Blizzard. Apparently, mission accomplished. Shipped some epic games, helped his crew, and became a better leader all around. Cue the heartwarming music.
A quick rewind here: Fergusson hopped on the Blizzard train in 2020, after a stint with The Coalition on Microsoft’s Gears of War. Blizzard had its skeletons back then with some California legal stuff. But, plot twist, Activision Blizzard got gobbled up by Microsoft for a cool $70 billion, so it’s like he went back to his roots — the ‘90s roots, seriously.
This guy, Fergusson, he’s like the fixer-upper dude. Shows up, rolls up his sleeves, and drags troubled game projects over the finish line. Worked his magic at Irrational Games with BioShock Infinite too, when it was stuck in a rut. Rockstars like him keep getting phone calls because big-budget games take forever and a day to make now. Speaking of forever, Microsoft just did some major house cleaning in their gaming division. Bummer for those folks.
Oh, and Phil Spencer, the big shot at Microsoft Gaming, had a moment. He popped over on Bluesky (because apparently Twitter’s yesterday’s news?) and gave Fergusson a shoutout. Something about “strength, hellfire, and vision” – sounds like a recipe for something epic. Playing Diablo IV was apparently a wild ride, and Phil made sure to thank Fergusson for being the guy with the goods. So, yeah, that’s the scoop.
