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
I mean a random polymorph that might turn a friendly minion into a 1/1 doesnt seem that fun
Holy crap people overestimate how much one person means to a company. Do you honestly think that Ben Brode designed Hearthstone by himself? :D The man gives credit to a team of 80+ people. How big a change do you think this will make? He is a public person and a very good one at that.
Good luck in the future Ben Brode. :-)
Ben was the leader of team 5 though he was at the top it is a major difference
If anything Ben was Hearthstone's greatest cheerleader, I genuinely believed he loved the game. Change can be good for this type of genre, all we can do is hope for the best.
Hooray, And take shudderwock with you.
Are you stil crying about shudderwock? There aren't decks that have a 50% win rate. It's more a fun combo deck nothing more. The only thing blizzard needs to do is reducing the animation time. The card itself in fine
[*]
#ForTheBRODE
I can't believe it, I think its an April fool
Farewell to the flannel period of Hearthstone history. It was a blast! Let's see what there is to come)
P.S. GLHF BB
Hearthstone will never be the same....
P.S. No more Rap?
Thank you, "Artifact"!
I felt a wavering in the Force. Good luck Mr. Brode and godspeed champion!
<3 to the Brode.
Hearthstone isn't perfect, but you'd have to be a fool to think this guy ever had anything but the game's best interest at heart. I wish him success in future ventures, and I sincerely hope his replacement shares the same passion for Hearthstone.
Wow, didn't expect to see this waking up... Can't say I'm not sad to lose him, but I'm mostly a bit concerned. Ben was a one-man marketing machine and he always went that extra mile to connect with the community.
I wonder if they've got any plans for "replacing" his role going forward, or it'll be a pretty big empty space after him. While the rest of the team has been showing their faces more and more, they haven't really got that (whatever it is) which Brode had.
What if this is part of Chakki's role in the team, other then final design? He's always been a pretty funny and interesting guy to listen to, don't think I've ever watched anything where he's participated without laughing at his antics. Still he's been managing to be interesting and analytic and know the game more than pretty much anyone, so he'll definitely have the communities trust. I think he's perfect for marketing and community stuff, so I'm hoping he'll be part of that from now on!
so sad , we will miss you ben brode .
Pour one out for my man Brode: uninstall hearthstone.
Cheers Ben Brode. From a PR point if view you absoloutely nailed it.