Chris Metzen Returns as Executive Creative Director for Warcraft Franchise
Blizzard Entertainment has announced today that Chris Metzen, former creative lead on multiple World of Warcraft expansions, is moving into a full-time position as executive creative director on the Warcraft franchise once again.
“We are excited to share that Chris Metzen has taken on a full-time role as executive creative director of the Warcraft universe,” the statement reads. “Right now, his main focus is supporting our World of Warcraft leadership in crafting the next generation of adventures.”
Metzen has played a key role in the Warcraft franchise since its inception with WarCraft 1. He has worked on all three WarCraft games and served as the creative director on the original World of Warcraft and its subsequent expansions, including the celebrated Wrath of the Lich King, through Mists of Pandaria. He took on a smaller role in Legion while also working as the creative director on Overwatch in 2016 before departing the company entirely to start a tabletop gaming venture. He returned to Blizzard late last year in a “creative advisor” role (source).
The language of Blizzard’s announcement positions Metzen not only in charge of the creative direction of World of Warcraft but also of the entire Warcraft franchise. While World of Warcraft has been the primary focus in recent years, Blizzard has shown interest in exploring other options. They recently remade WarCraft 3 and released a Warcraft mobile tower defense game in soft launch this year (source). Blizzard’s reference to the “next generation of adventures” could indicate the development of more World of Warcraft expansions or the introduction of entirely new experiences under Metzen’s guidance.
World of Warcraft itself is currently in the middle of its ninth expansion, Dragonflight, with fans eagerly awaiting the next major patch before the year-end. In our review (source), we gave Dragonflight a 7/10 rating, noting that it offers a captivating and well-written experience in the early stages but lacks depth in endgame content.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].
This article was amended post-publication to better clarify the current status of Warcraft Rumble.