Warcraft vet Chris Metzen returns to Blizzard to work on World of Warcraft

Chris Metzen is back at Blizzard Entertainment and will continue to work World of WarcraftJohn Hight, Warcraft general manger, made the announcement Thursday. Metzen, who was a key creative on Warcraft’s original strategy game, wrote much of its lore. Metzen still managed creative projects. World of WarcraftServed as Senior Vice President for Story and Franchise Development until his retirement in 2016.

Metzen is now a creative adviser World of Warcraft Future input will be provided on any other franchise games.

In a statement posted to Blizzard’s website, Hight wrote:

Chris Metzen, Warcraft Leadership Team Creative Advisor, has been announced with joy. Chris’s focus initially will be on World of Warcraft, then his work will expand to other projects across this growing franchise.

Chris is one of the first team members to work on Warcraft Universe back in 1994. It’s a joy to be reuniting Chris with the world he helped build.

Metzen has helped develop several of the game’s most iconic races, from the classic orcs and humans to the (relatively) newer Forsaken and Night Elves. Metzen is also the voice of Thrall (long-serving orc warchief, and the poster boy for Horde), Metzen, who retired in 2016, worked alongside Mike Gilmartin for a tabletop game called Auroboros – Coils of the Serpent.

World of Warcraft has experienced ups and downs since Metzen’s departure. Sylvanas’ storyline continued to be told. Azeroth is at stake ShadowlandsThe player base panned the game largely due to inconsistencies and mishandlings of loved characters. Warcraft is a MMO and collectible card game. HearthstoneAnd the next mobile game Arclight Rumble.

Blizzard was also subject to significant cultural change, including lawsuits by former employees and California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging that the developer committed sexual harassment and discrimination in a case. Metzen, along with other senior alums like Mike Morhaime, apologized in 2021 for “the part I played in a culture that fostered harassment, inequality, and indifference.”