Hearthstone Game Director Ben Brode Leaves Blizzard

You may not know the name Ben Brode, but odds are you know his work. He announced recently that he will be stepping down as the game director for Blizzard's card game, Hearthstone, to pursue other ventures.

Brode was part of Hearthstone's original launch team. Since then, the game has risen to over 70 million players, and one of the most popular digital card games there is. Brode posted in the Battle.net forums, announcing his leave:

People tell me that Hearthstone brought their family closer together, or that they became close friends with people they met. 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.

Brode's first job was as a game tester for Warcraft 3. Prior to this, he was a delivery man, bringing late-night pizzas to the studios hard workers. Over the following 15 years, he would rise in the ranks until he was designated the game director for Hearthstone.

He doesn't plan to retire just yet, but instead, he wishes to focus on a new project, which is currently unknown.

Im going to help start a new company. Well probably make games, but we havent figured anything else out, yet. Im looking forward to designing, programming, and actually creating things again.

We wish Ben Brode the best of luck in his future efforts, and we thank him for helping create a fantastic (and free) game.