Ben Brode Leaves Blizzard Entertainment
Ben Brode has posted a very important announcement this afternoon. After working at Blizzard for 15 years and developing Hearthstone for almost 10, he has decided to leave the company.
Thank you, Ben, for all the communication you've given the community over the years, the laughs, and most importantly, this game.
Quote from Ben BrodeTo my friends, coworkers, and the Hearthstone community,
After 15 years at Blizzard and almost 10 years working on Hearthstone, I have made the incredibly difficult decision to embark on a new journey.
Man, that was a hard sentence to type.
I was 20 years old when I started here. My first role was ‘Night Crew Game Tester.’
Since then, Blizzard has been good to me. I got to cast esports events, announce BlizzCons, play in Rock Bands, write raps, and work with incredible people. But the biggest opportunity came in 2008 when I joined “Team 5.” The Hearthstone Team.
I am very proud of Hearthstone. I think we made an impact on the industry. People tell me that Hearthstone brought their family closer together, or that they became close friends with people they met at a Fireside Gathering. Others tell me they were inspired by Hearthstone to become game developers themselves. It’s incredible to be a part of something that touches so many people.
But as proud as I am of Hearthstone, I am even more proud of the team.
There is no team like the Hearthstone team. People have come and gone over the 10 years Hearthstone has been in development, but there’s something special about the Soul of the Team. We knew our most important product wasn’t the game, but the team itself. A great team can do great things, and I think the Hearthstone team is the greatest. It isn’t just a job. It’s a shared passion. We get to come to work and focus on the game we love and try to make it better every day.
We frequently check the Hearthstone subreddit looking for opportunities to improve the game. I have loved the silly memes, engaging in spirited debates, or even just being held accountable to our shared high standards for the game. We try to be highly available on social media, and I think our team helped push the envelope in this regard. It has been especially satisfying to me to see the team step up over the last few years and help engage in these ways as I became more focused on direction and less on actual design.
I get too much credit by virtue of being a public face, but the 80+ people on the development team are still there, and they are the ones actually making the cards, brawls, events, missions, and features. I am confident the game is in the best possible hands, and I’m excited to see where a new generation of leaders takes Hearthstone from here.
I am very fortunate to be able to take a crazy risk right now in my life, and I’m excited to be scrappy and a little scared. I’m going to help start a new company. We’ll probably make games, but we haven’t figured anything else out, yet. I’m looking forward to designing, programming, and actually creating things again. I’m going to miss the on-campus Starbucks, though. Dang.
Blizzard, thank you for taking a chance on me, and thank you for taking a chance on Hearthstone. I can’t wait to see what you do next.
And to the passionate community of players – I will miss you, and the laughs we shared together. Thank you for making being a part of Hearthstone so much fun for me. I’ve loved every minute.
Sincerely,
Ben Brode
Fuck you Ben for making me so sad, don' t you dare to fail in whatever you are going to do, if we have to lose you it better be for a good reason :'(
I already miss him.
Ben Bride was the face of Hearthstone. Off the top of my head, I can't name anyone else at Team 5. I hope he is successful in his future ventures though. The guy deserves it.
You have no heart
Well that was shocking and sad to hear. Don't worry Ben Brode, we will all laugh in your place.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAAHAAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHA..................HA!
Even if i am drunk coz i became an uncle i saw on news that avicii died and now am entering into hearthpwn site and i saw this.... Am more sad then happy being a new uncle :/ feelsbadman
Hope that Peter Whalen can be a good replacement for meme generating.
Goodbye to Brode and to Yogg Saron, Hope's End
Both of the greatest memes to ever land in Hearthstone
Good luck on your new adventure Mr. Brode.
The Inn will always be open for you.
I know I've blamed Brodey plenty of times for Hearthstone being a messed, but it always took one brodelaugh.mp3 to make me forget why I was so salty. Goodbye Mr. Lumberjack of Hearthstone. BibleThump
Rip the satanic brode laugh compilations ;(
you will be missed, you beautiful soul!
This somehow made me feeling better about also quitting my job today. Gotta move on and take a risk sometimes. Thanks Brode.
Saddest Hearthstone community loss since Forsen
PLEASE DON'T GO :(
Artifact comes out soon, maybe he could help jump-start that game as a dev team member if he wants a fresh start. I know people will definitely play if he's working there.
good news
Very sad news, but this is not the end of the world. They could hire Jay Wilson as Game Director.
The good news though is that brode will make new games.. quite excited to see which games Ben brode's new comapany will make :)
but I will miss him from reveals to fireside videos etc..
THANKS GOD!