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
Always in our hearts!
Ben Brode is the figurehead of Hearthstone. The way he managed to cheer up the community is remarkable. Although this is so sad news to hear, I am thankful for what he did to Hearthstone through the years and hope him all the best with his future company!
Wow, thats a thing to read before sleep. HS clearly exist by Ben charisma and his full of ideals and ideas heart. I wish him very best and good luck.
Go go HS team!
It’s all your fault for making a salt thread... and Reddit in general... :(
His epic laugh will be greatly missed... BibleThump
finally hes gone with his fake laugh. i guess this was not his own decision. witchwood did not deliver...had to take his hat. its good for the game in the long run. believe me folks.
A minion with his laugh !
Why? Hearthstone won't be the same without you.
Everybody has to move forward in life, he thought his cycle at Blizzard was coming to an end.
Good luck to him for his new project.
GOODBYE!
Shame today isn't the April 1-st
Mah Heart D:
Well rip hearthstone
Finally, let's make Hearthstone great again!
Thanks for all your hard work, you and your trademark Laugh will be missed...
Surreal. Unexpected. I wonder if Hearthstone's demise is dead ahead and wise Ben is wisely jumping ship.
Finally,may be one of the best days in my life.This dumb shit called game is going to end...Gz to all of dumb arrsols qho spend millions of dollars for digital cards which u know where u can stick now dont you!!!!!MUahahahahahahah i LOVE IT!!!!!
Ben, thank you for Hearthstone. (and all team too of course!)
Hearthstone encouraged me to develop games, and I've succesfully released two board card games. And a major part in this were Hearthstone streams and your interviews, i was watching, when drawing and designing my projects. They helped me to understand the balance between randomness and math, between fun and pain. Thank you for that.
I wish you to return in media as soon, as your adventure will shine and I wish it will shine brightly!
And here some doodle for you, can't resist to draw it :)
I guess hearthstone will come to an end in a not so distant future as well.
If you read more articles you would know that he was against Shudderwock. The card would be fine except for the turn lenght.