Diablo III Director Jay Wilson leaves team for other Blizzard projects

Diablo 3

In a lengthy post on Blizzard's official forums , Diablo III Director Jay Wilson has announced his departure from the team he led for seven years to pursue another unspecified project at Blizzard. "I've reached a point creatively where I'm looking forward to working on something new," he writes. "This decision was not an easy one for me, and not one I made quickly, but ultimately it's what I feel is right."

Wilson's oversight of the much-hyped RPG wasn't immune from rocky periods. The clumsy, error-plagued launch frustrated fans that had waited almost a dozen years for a follow-up, and many criticized the game's end-game and real-money auction house.

But despite the difficulties, Wilson says he feels proud of Diablo III and its community, though he admits his communication could've been better at times. "I feel I have made many mistakes in managing that relationship, but my intent was always to provide a great gaming experience, and be as open and receptive as possible while still sticking true to the vision the Diablo team has for the game," he writes.

Wilson also promises future updates and support for Diablo III will continue, including the upcoming 1.0.7 PVP dueling patch. He didn't name a direct successor for taking over directing duties, but he didn't rule out the studio posting a future opening for the job "as we want to make sure we explore every opportunity to find the best possible leadership for the project."

Read the rest of Wilson's farewell on the forums .

Omri Petitte

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?

Latest in RPG
Avowed art showing companions having a picnic together under sunny day
All the Avowed ending choices and epilogue-affecting decisions
The creepiest guy leans in front of an NPC mid-conversation in Starfield.
Starfield promises it still exists as silence drives fans to space-madness, but it mostly just annoys everyone: 'They are deliberately choosing not to communicate more'
Dry Devil holds a torch and grins.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's upcoming 1.2 update has a ridiculous 34 pages of patch notes
An image of toasted bread with dripping, melted cheese on top, from Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter's food looks so tasty it's apparently driving up demand for cheese naan in Japan
Dark and Darker - A player swings a sowrd at a mummy in a torchlit dungeon hall
Dark and Darker delisted again, this time from the Epic Games Store
A man shouting while waving his sword in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2.
Baldur's Gate 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 show that the future of RPGs is in games way more ambitious, weird and unexpected than anything Bethesda and BioWare have to offer
Latest in News
Doom: The Dark Ages art
The sickest gun from Doom: The Dark Ages' trailer is called the 'Skullcrusher' and does such horrible things to demons, the game's lead dev boasts id has 'the best gore in the industry'
Monster Hunter Wilds palico
The next Monster Hunter Wilds update is set to launch on March 10 and will ensure that when you chop off monster parts, the right monster parts get chopped off
A pack of real life Balatro cards.
The official Balatro Timeline documents the history of 2024's biggest game as its developer went from 'obsessed' with making it to 'shocked' at the reception
the next battlefield
Battlefield playtest gameplay is leaking all over the internet, and fans seem cautiously but genuinely excited: 'Okay, we might be back'
Milla Jovovovovovich pointing a sawed-off shotgun at something offscreen, presumably a monster or zombie or something
The Resident Evil movie reboot bidding war is over, and the winner is… Sony, who did every one of those other pretty terrible Resident Evil movies
Judge Dredd promotional image in Warzone
Half-a-dozen 2000AD games were in the works before fizzling out: 'The games you get to see are a tiny representative of the number that get started—sadly'