Rob Pardo, Blizzard's chief creative officer and the leader designer for megahit World of Warcraft announced on Thursday that he is leaving the company after 17 years.
He took to Blizzard's forums to release his statement noting that it is time that he "pursue the next chapter in my life and career." He indicated that he hasn't exactly figured out what that will be just yet, though.
Pardo explained that before deciding on what he will do next, he will instead spend the summer with his family and, naturally, also find time to sit down and play some video games.
He did sound like he would find a way to remain involved in the gaming industry as he wrote that it is in "such an exciting place right now with PC gaming thriving, the new consoles, mobile games, and virtual reality becoming an actual reality."
Pardo has been with the game company for a long time, beginning his career on the first Starcraft title. Ars Technica reports that in addition to being the CCO and the lead designer for WoW, he also took the lead for The Burning Crusade and Brood War expansions.