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
Was he kicked out or what ?
Did you read the message he wrote? It's all there
press f to pay respects :(
Why am i sad for someone i never met?Feels bad...
You were the face of Hearthstone.
Good luck in your journey,and i hope you bring some good games in the industry#BENBRODE
Ah, dam. He was iconic for the hearthstone.
Hope for a nice playable card for respect him.
This sucks, he was the best part of the streams
A card tribute would be awesome though
Sad news...
I wish you the best Ben and thanks for the awesome game
Dear Ben Brode, I wish you all the best. You have been the face of Hearthstone for me
to all the people that didn't read it "I’m going to help start a new company". this game is going to be more boring without him. less RNG and crazy shit, its actually explain the boring meta and the fact that not alot changed after the expansion.
Brodeless Hearthstone...seems like a lesser Hearthstone.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
wait....
WAHWAHWAHWAHWAH
Just thank you Ben !
F
I am going to miss this guys laugh on reveal streams.
Thank you Ben for your hard work and the great game we all play
Good luck in all of your future endeavours
As strange as it sounds, just this week i was realizing that one of the reasons i like hearthstone is because Ben is at the helm. The appreciation is similar to Tesla and T-Mobile. I love their leaders. Obviously Blizzard didnt see as much value in you now as some of us do or they would have given you an offer you couldn't refuse.. not quite in a godfather way though.
Or he just wanted to try something new.
Ben's presence certainly made game little more special than others (and I am not even counting Rap sessions, which made people who hate rap like me, enjoy rap for first time in their lives), announcements and news for other games are completely several levels bellow Ben's performance, just look at Jeff on Overwatch team, and his funeral style announcements.
he must create a new card game.
all the mistakes he has learnt from hearthstone while developing it.
now he can make the ultimate flawless card game.