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
Good riddance, come back reborn as Brode Ben and start over in blizzard.
Bren Bode is taking his place...
You mean Benn Bromane
Well the earnings must be bad lets short on Blizzard
Out with the old and in with the new I guess! Congratulations Chakki! the new Bbrode
He really is the heart of the game.... .Its gonna be hard without him.
NO WAY THE DUDE IS ANNOYING PROBABLY fired DUE TO THE FACT THE LAST two EXP were awful
Most devastating nerf in Hearthstone history. Thanks for everything, Ben! You will ve missed.
Bad move from blizzard. This guy alone generated 25% of hearthstone income. He was the figure that sold us pirate warrior and 4 mana 7/7 shamanstone. We actually played it even if it was bad. I don't think blizzard should have let him leave
its not blizzard's decision lol, read it, he's goin indie
edit: he would have left regardless, from what it reads like imo
Ben was really good at bringing theatre to Hearthstone. Beyond his managerial style, he had a public persona second to none. Gonna miss that jolly guy.
This is obviously the result of Shudderwock being shipped against his better judgement. I just hope this isn't going to delay the inevitable nerf.
Yep gotta nerf that 50% win rate deck
Soooooo OP
(SARCASM)
^^^^
I honestly wonder what'll happen to announcements now. I have nothing against Jason Chase, or Dean Ayala, or any of the guys actually involved in creating cards, but combine all of them and you wouldn't get even half the Charisma Brode has.
Looking forward to see his game.
rip hearthstone
JOURNEY TO UN GORO. will miss you ben brode..
So they nerfed Hearthstone