Hearthstone Director Ben Brode Announces He Is Leaving Blizzard
By Zac Cameron ·
After fifteen years with the company, the much beloved Hearthstone Director is moving in a new direction.
Sad days for the Hearthstone Community, with the announcement today that Ben Brode is leaving his post as Hearthstone Director. The announcement on the Battle.net forums has sent ripples through the community, with many prominent figures reacting to the news on twitter.
What the? It’s not April Fools Day, man! You’ll be seriously missed. Good luck with your next adventure!
— Brian Kibler (@bmkibler) April 20, 2018
Thanks for everything, Ben. Your work and contagious joy have touched millions of lives. Cya around :)
— Frodan (@Frodan) April 20, 2018
Ben Brode was one of the first to jump on board with “Team 5”, the creators of Hearthstone, after originally starting out as part of the night crew QA team. Additionally working on the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game before moving to Hearthstone, Brode has been a part of the Hearthstone landscape since the very beginning.
Ben Brode claimed the role of Hearthstone Director in 2016, after replacing Eric Dodd, moving from his previous roles as Senior Designer and Lead Designer. Known for his appearance in Hearthstone promotions, Brode was effectively the face of the Hearthstone team, a fact he shared in his announcement, “I get too much credit by virtue of being a public face, but the 80+ people on the development team are still there, and they are the ones actually making the cards, brawls, events, missions, and features. I am confident the game is in the best possible hands.”
Reflecting on his years with the company, Brode paid homage to the team he worked with, stating “There is no team like the Hearthstone team. People have come and gone over the 10 years Hearthstone has been in development, but there’s something special about the Soul of the Team. We knew our most important product wasn’t the game, but the team itself. A great team can do great things, and I think the Hearthstone team is the greatest. It isn’t just a job. It’s a shared passion. We get to come to work and focus on the game we love and try to make it better every day.”
While not revealing too many details about his upcoming plans, Brode did confirm that he is leaving to help start a new company, and couldn’t resist throwing in a little humour to soften the blow, explaining that “I am very fortunate to be able to take a crazy risk right now in my life, and I’m excited to be scrappy and a little scared. I’m going to help start a new company. We’ll probably make games, but we haven’t figured anything else out, yet. I’m looking forward to designing, programming, and actually creating things again. I’m going to miss the on-campus Starbucks, though. Dang.”