Chris Metzen returns to Blizzard Entertainment to work on World of Warcraft, John Hight, General Manager of Warcraft announced Thursday. Metzen was one of the main creators of the Warcraft franchise, writing much of the lore and world-building behind the original real-time strategy games. Metzen continued to lead creative projects throughout World of Warcraft until his retirement in 2016 as senior vice president for story and franchise development.
Now, Metzen will serve as a creative advisor on world of warcraft, with future contributions on other games in the franchise.
In a statement posted on Blizzard’s website, Hight wrote:
It is with great joy that I announce that Chris Metzen has joined the Warcraft leadership team as a Creative Advisor. Chris will initially focus on World of Warcraft, then his work will expand to other projects in this growing franchise.
Chris was one of the original team members working on the Warcraft universe when it debuted in 1994, and we’re so happy to reunite him with the world he helped create.
Metzen helped develop many of the game’s most iconic races, from classic orcs and humans to the (relatively) newer Forsaken and Night Elves. He also serves as the voice of Thrall, a longtime orc warlord and poster boy for the Horde. After retiring in 2016, Metzen worked with Mike Gilmartin on a tabletop role-playing game called Auroboros: Coils of the Serpent.
World of Warcraft has had its ups and downs since leaving Metzen. The story of Sylvanas, which continued Battle for Azeroth and Shadowland, was widely rejected by the playerbase due to narrative inconsistency and poor handling of beloved characters. Warcraft Games Franchise Covers MMO, Collectible Card Game Foyerand the next mobile game Arclight Rumble.
Blizzard has also seen significant cultural upheaval, with lawsuits filed by former employees and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging sexual harassment and discrimination against the developer in a lawsuit. Metzen, along with other alumni like Mike Morhaime, apologized in 2021 for “the part I played in a culture that fostered harassment, inequality, and indifference.”
