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Warcraft general manager John Hight exits Blizzard after nearly 13 years

Hight stated that he felt that he left Warcraft in a good place and that it was time for him to try something new.

TJ Denzer

June 14, 2024 12:03 PM

Image via Blizzard

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Another big leadership change-up is happening at Blizzard Entertainment. John Hight, who has been the general manager of all things Warcraft including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, and all Warcraft RTS games, is leaving the company after a tenure of 12 years. He will be leaving the General Manager position and his SVP role at Blizzard to move on to new opportunities.

Hight announced his exit from Blizzard on his personal X account this week. In his series of tweets detailing his exit, he shared belief that the Warcraft franchise is in a great position and will do well as he moves on to something new:

After 12 incredible years at Blizzard, I’ve decided to step away & start a new quest.

It was a tough decision, but I feel like now is as good a time as any: Warcraft is in an amazing position as the universe turns 30.

I’ve been so honored to serve all of the heroes of Azeroth.

— John Hight (@JHight_Gamer) June 13, 2024

Hight had been with Blizzard since November 2011, when he began work with the company directing the production of Diablo 3’s console versions and the Reaper of Souls expansion. Since then, he moved up to executive producer and vice president of World of Warcraft and eventually became general manager of the entire Warcraft franchise. That meant overseeing World of Warcraft’s many expansions, Hearthstone ongoing updates, and Warcraft Rumble.

With Hight’s exit from the Warcraft franchise and Blizzard, that marks another high level exit from the company. Stay tuned as we follow along for what’s next for Warcraft here at Shacknews.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.