Business Insider is reporting that Blizzard's Chris Metzen, currently Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development, is retiring from gaming at only age 42. Metzen has been integral in the development of World of Warcraft and has worked on other titles in the company's portfolio.
According to Metzen's subsequent post on the Blizzard forums, he is retiring to spend more time with his family after 22-years with Blizzard.
The reason I use the word “retire” is because I’m not going to some other company or starting up new projects or anything remotely like that. It’s been a long, amazing stretch of years. Now it’s time to slow it down. Rest. Lay around on the couch and get fat. Well, fatter.… Seriously though, I’ll be focusing on the one thing that matters most to me in all the world—my family. They’re the core of my life and the source of my deepest joy and inspiration. In addition to raising our two little ones, we recently welcomed our new baby into the family! Being home with them all, having time and space to really live…to love my wife with all my strength…that’s my career now.
Metzen's hand in all of Blizzard's properties has been evident for all of his twenty plus years with the company, though he is probably best known for his role with World of Warcraft and with the character "Thrall", an NPC that he voiced as well for a number of years.
Read more at the link above or head to the World of Warcraft forum post from Metzen himself.
