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World of Warcraft: Legion

Chris Metzen: "I burned out really hard"

The Blizzard developer talks about why he left.

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It's been a bit over two months since Chris Metzen left Blizzard Entertainment. The 42 year old game designer had worked at Blizzard for 23 years, and he's responsible for entertaining us with titles such as Diablo, Starcraft, Warcraft and Overwatch - a pretty decent resumé. His parting with the company came as a surprise, but in a recent interview with Scott Johnson he gives good reasons for why he left.

He describes working at Blizzard as all-consuming and a part of his identity. After so many years with high pace he finally burned out, started having panic attacks and felt he had to slow down.

"I think during those years I burned out really hard. I think in my heart, I needed a change in my life. I wanted to slow down, I wanted to just not carry the weight of it all."

"I started having panic attacks left and right and just non-stop anxiety. Before I finally retired, I think I had been having panic attacks all the time, but I didn't know what they were."

He calls himself institutionalised and a Blizzard guy, and he apparently has nothing but love for the company or the people there. We wish him all the best in future, and we still cling onto the hope of him returning to the industry.

What are your favourite projects of his?

World of Warcraft: Legion

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