Chris Metzen Returns to Company After Retiring Years Ago
Chris Metzen, a Blizzard veteran who retired from the studio in 2016, has been appointed as the executive creative director of Warcraft. Metzen was head writer and lore guru at the company before his departure in 2016, with a hand in all the studio’s properties. He rejoined Blizzard at the end of last year, focusing solely on Warcraft in the role of franchise creative advisor. His new position will continue in much the same vein, with Metzen focusing exclusively on developing the Warcraft universe, initially with an eye on “crafting the next generation of [World of Warcraft] adventures.”
Blizzard announced Metzen’s promotion in a post on social media, stating that his main focus is to support the World of Warcraft leadership in creating the next generation of adventures. Metzen was instrumental in developing the foundations of the Warcraft universe, and Blizzard is thrilled for him to rejoin their teams in shaping what’s to come. At BlizzCon, he and the team will be sharing what they’ve been working on. Metzen expressed his excitement about working on Warcraft again, stating that it feels like coming home.
Chris Metzen also mentioned that the stories they’re developing right now and how the world unfolds over the next few years are something he can’t wait for everyone to see. This year’s BlizzCon, which runs from Friday, November 3 to Saturday, November 4, will be the show’s first in-person event since 2019.