Diablo III Director's departure prompts community ire, Blizzard's Rob Pardo responds

When Diablo III's director, Jay Wilson, announced he was leaving the game's team to work on another unspecified Blizzard project, the community's reaction was intense. While many expressed gratitude for Wilson's work, wishing him well in his future role, others used the forum thread as a platform for vehement criticism of both the game and of Wilson himself. In response to the vitriol, Blizzard's Chief Creative Officer, Rob Pardo, made a candid reply to the community, saying, "If you still feel the need to dish out blame, then I would prefer you direct it at me."

"This thread saddens me greatly," Pardo begins, noting the forum's reputation for "rough justice," but countering that, "I do not believe justice is being served by how people are speaking about Jay's departure from Diablo III." He goes on to say that, while he's proud of the team and enjoys the game, "The Diablo community deserves an even better game from Blizzard and we are committed to improving it. We have a talented team in place and have no intention of stopping work on Diablo III until it is the best game in the franchise."

Regarding Jay Wilson's contribution to Diablo III, Pardo says, "He has great design instincts and has added so much to the franchise with his feel for visceral combat, boss battles, and an unparalleled knack for making it fun to smash bad guys. I've worked with many, many designers at Blizzard and Jay is one of the best."

"If you love Diablo as much as we do, then please continue to let us know how you feel we can improve the game. If you still feel the need to dish out blame, then I would prefer you direct it at me."

Pardo finishes by saying, "I was the executive producer on the project; I hired Jay and I gave him advice and direction throughout the development process. I was ultimately responsible for the game we released and take full responsibility for the quality of the result."

Thanks, Polygon and NeoGAF .