After 12 remarkable years at Blizzard, John Hight, the general manager and senior vice president of the Warcraft franchise, has announced his departure for a new and as-yet-unknown adventure. Hight shared the news via Twitter, expressing his gratitude to the community for its unwavering support throughout his career.

Hight's journey at Blizzard began in 2011, when he joined the company as executive producer and vice president for World of Warcraft. Under his direction, major expansions such as Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion, Battle for Azeroth, Shadowlands, and Dragonflight were released. In addition to these expansions, Hight also contributed to the development of Hearthstone, Warcraft Rumble, and the 2016 Warcraft film. Before his notable years at Blizzard, Hight held important positions at EA, Atari, and Sony, where he worked on notable titles such as God of War 3.

In an interview, he shared his cautious stance on Blizzard's involvement in the film industry compared with other game studios, as well as his optimistic vision for World of Warcraft's continued evolution over the next two decades. In that same interview, Hight also discussed Blizzard's approach to AI technology and detailed the company's efforts to reconnect with players following the challenges encountered during the Shadowlands expansion. Blizzard has not yet announced who will succeed Hight as general manager of Warcraft.

John Hight Leaves Blizzard After 12 Years