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
MY JAWS THAT BITE MY CLAWS THAT CA-MY JAWS THAT BITE MY CLAWS THAT CA-MY JAWS THAT BITE
Even considering all the ups and downs, Hearthstone as a property is diminished just a little with the loss of the Brode.
Thank you Ben and good luck!
F
Press F to pay respects...
Your majestic beard and glorious roaring laughter shall be missed good sir; best of luck on your future endeavors Ben Brode.
Man that sucks. Despite all the shit he sometimes got for dumb cards like Purify (which he wasn't 100 percent responsible for) he genuinely seemed like a nice guy who you wouldn't mind sharing a mug with at a bar. His enthusiasm and laugh will be missed (as will the memes) and I can only wish him luck in his future endeavours.
this is GREAT that dude was annoying
Lies , this is alll liesssss, this is just a late April fool pranks right? Right?
*Rolling and crying noise in the background
Hearthstone just died.
Who will make me laugh with their laughs ;(
GG Brode, you will be missed.
The Ghostcrawler of Hearthstone
Bye Ben :(
He will now be eligible to be disenchanted for full dust value.
Sir you were the public face of this game with your simpathy and humor among your other great skills, to the point that many of the players actually directed most of their opinions towards YOU, and so, is for that reason alone, that you'll be missed but not forgoten.
May this new quest in your life, and future ones, bring You hansome rewards and rich experiences, mad respect to a great person and thanks for this game, as well as leading it up to what it is for many people.
He was the hero we needed, but not the one we deserved.
I only hope Blz can create a real card for him just for fun, I would love to keep it in my collections and play it some time just for fun.
Bye. :(
Very sad to see Ben Brode go. His passion and commitment will be sorely missed :(. I hope whatever his new project is works out great for him.
Wish u all the best and i guest Ben take an opportunity as a rock star. Keep rockin!!!! Hearthstone just publicity for marketing promotion band stuff. Take it easy. Cheers!!
To all people who are getting downvoted:
It's not Ben's fault that you can't defeat illidan.
Im thinking ben switch to valve's new card game omg haha and have plans developing it .