Diblo General Manager and Gears of War Veteran Rod Fergusson left Blizzard.
Fergusson confirmed the messages on his personal Twitter/X account:
After five years of driving Diablo franchise with four immense premieres, it’s time to leave Blizzard/Microsoft, Sword in hand and see what will happen next. The teams are set to success, with an electrifying list of editions. I am incredibly proud of what … pic.twitter.com/fsh4gjmgvl
– ROD Fergusson (@rodfergusson) August 8, 2025
“After five years of conducting Franchise Diablo, the attacker with four large premieres, the time has come to leave Blizzard/Microsoft, Sword in hand and see what to do next,” wrote Fergusson. “The bands are set to success, with an exciting list of publications. I am incredibly proud of what we built together and I can’t wait what will happen next to Diablo and for me.”
Blizzard also confirmed this message for Ign, but refused to present further commentary on why Fergusson left the company or who would run Diablo franchise.
President Blizzard Johanna Faries answered on Twitter/X, with the following:
Running a franchise such as Diablo requires infrequent talents, visions and cooperation. Thank you, ROD, for bringing all of the peaks. The future of Sanctuary is brighter due to the influence you have had! 🙏🏽✨ https://t.co/r479RGDKM3
– Faire Faiise (@joh_burg) August 8, 2025
Xbox Head Phil Spencer He answered BlueSky: “You brought strength, hellish fire and the vision of one of the most iconic franchise Gaming. Playing with you Diablo IV was great – thanks to everything you gave the game and community.”
Rod Fergusson joined Blizzard in 2020 after leaving the Microsoft coalition. Fergusson previously worked on every GEARS of War game in time in both Microsoft and Epic games. In Blizzard Fergusson he directed Diablo franchise, joining shortly after the announcement of Diablo 4. Fergusson conducted numerous candid interviews about his vision of the direction and future of the Diablo franchise. In April, Blizzard presented a road map for Diablo 4 to 2025, which did not go well with the fans. Recently, Diablo 4 has received the sins of Horadrim updating with novel nightmarks and configurable spells updates.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior Ign reporter. You can find her post on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.skyla. Do you have a hint with history? Send it to ralentine@ign.com.
