Chris Metzen is one of the key figures in developing Warcraft along with tons of other Blizzard properties. After returning to the company in an advisor capacity last year, a key figure behind Blizzard’s lore and stories is returning to the forefront of their creative efforts. Blizzard has just announced that Chris Metzen will be taking a new role as executive creative director of the entire Warcraft franchise, starting with WoW.
Source: Blizzard, BlizzCon 2018
Chris Metzen Becomes Executive Creative Director of Warcraft Franchise
Chris Metzen was, for a long time, an instrumental part of Blizzard and particularly Warcraft’s success. He first started as an animator but went on to become a key figure for the lore and story for multiple Blizzard franchises. Earlier WarCraft games saw him contribute heavily to developing the world of the franchise. He also worked extensively on Diablo, Starcraft, and even created lore in the earlier game that would eventually become the hero shooter Overwatch. He’s had a vital role in developing and writing the worlds and lore that so many fans have come to appreciate from Blizzard.
Chris Metzen eventually became Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development at Blizzar. Doing everything from to writing scripts to voicing characters. He contributed to the stories, scripts, art, and worlds of most Blizzard titles up until his retirement from the company in 2016. After some time away, Blizzard announced he was making a return to the series as an advisor last year. However, he’ll now be taking an even more central role.
At first, he’ll be focusing exclusively on WoW before moving on to more parts of the wide franchise. He’s been part of Warcraft since its beginnings. In a lot of ways, he’s responsible for giving Warcraft the personality and world that’s made it what it is. More recent outings for Warcraft have faced some criticism from fans in the lore and story development department, making this return to a cause to celebrate for some long-time WoW devotees.
Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
On his return to Blizzard, Chris Metzen has spoken of his excitement to return to Warcraft, tweeting:
It’s been amazing working on Warcraft again. Like coming home. The stories we’re developing right now – how the world unfolds over the next few years… Well, I can’t wait for y’all to see where we’re headed.
Metzen’s Key Role in Blizzard’s Worlds
As an important contributor from the dawn of Warcraft, the new role for Chris Metzen puts him central. He’ll be a vital source of direction from someone who knows exactly what made Warcraft what it is today.
Previously, he worked not only on creative in Warcraft but also in StarCraft, OW, and more. His impact on games has been huge in terms of lore. OW’s character Soldier 76 is named for and based on an original character from a graphic novel Metzen worked on outside of Blizzard.
In the past, he has had a more overarching role at Blizzard Entertainment. This new role will once again position him to oversee the story and world of Warcraft. That’s before moving on to do the same for the entire franchise.
More recent expansions and story developments have had their fair share of criticism from fans. Bringing back Chris Metzen in such an important role would suggest Blizzard is looking to take things back to what Warcraft so special. From this experience building out Blizzard’s work, Chris Metzen is definitely well-equipped to recapture the magic and intrigue of WoW. We’ll be learning more about what’s to come at BlizzCon later this year.
