World of Warcraft GM John Hight exits Blizzard after 12 years

John Hight, a longtime employee at Blizzard Entertainment, revealed he’s departing the studio.

On Twitter, Hight said he’s “decided to step away and start a new quest.” While vague, he expressed a desire to “explore new opportunities and challenges in the industry, and to continue making great games with talented people.”

Hight’s career dates back to 1991, where he served as a producer on CD-i titles like Connect Four and Battleship. In the 90s and 2000s, he was an executive producer or design lead on titles like Command & Conquer 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, and God of War 3.

Come 2012, he joined Blizzard as a senior producer on World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. Over the years, he worked his way up to becoming general manager for the entire franchise, while also contributing to Overwatch and Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls.

Speaking to his WoW tenure, Hight gave thanks to “the teams & leaders supporting all the games across the Warcraft universe. I’ve been so honored to serve all of the heroes of Azeroth.”

“Thank you again for making these years so unforgettable,” he concluded. His final game at Blizzard will be World of Warcraft: War Within in August, to which he said, “I’ll still see you in Azeroth – now, as purely a player!”