Founders leave Blizzard Entertainment

LOL · 01 Jul 2003, 04:28 AM

http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030630/media...i_games_1.html

The three guys who founded Blizzard North, the team that developed the Diablo games, have jumped ship along with Blizzard's most important employee, Bill Roper. Roper is mainly responsible for shifting the company from console games like Lost Vikings to the Blizzard we all know that made Warcraft and Starcraft.

I doubt this has anything to do with the direction of Blizzard's game development and more with Vivendi making stupid decisions with their game companies.

**Shine** · 01 Jul 2003, 04:30 AM

I wonder how this will affect Blizzard?

**Josh** · 01 Jul 2003, 04:30 AM

Does this effect Starcraft 2?

**Shine** · 01 Jul 2003, 04:31 AM

We'll never see that anyways.

**warnpro** · 01 Jul 2003, 04:46 AM

Originally posted by 88mph
Does this effect Starcraft 2?

I used to want a sequel so badly, but then I thought that it's near impossible to improve upon perfection.

Although I'd still like to see Blizzard try.

**Lhadatt** · 01 Jul 2003, 05:03 AM

Josh's prediction:

Blizzard will get sucked under in a possible Vivendi implosion. The company's licenses will be sold off on the cheap.

Alternatively, the company is being sold to someone these guys don't like, so they're getting out while they can.

Either way, this was a smart move for them. Now that they're free to do what they want, expect a new company helmed by these guys to introduce a "spiritual successor" to one of their series.