Rod Fergusson, the gaming industry titan who led the direction of the Gears of War franchise, recently left Microsoft and The Coalition in order to lead the direction of the Diablo franchise. The move was a shock to many given his devotion to the popular third-person shooter franchise, but it may ultimately be what the Diablo franchise needs to keep its fanbase and head in a positive direction.

With Diablo IV's release ahead of us, Fergusson might be taking charge for the best. After all, the man does have an impressive resumé. Between the typically well-reviewed Gears of War series and work on BioShock Infinite at Irrational Games, Fergusson's catalog of games that he's worked on is commendable. It's safe to say that any project would probably benefit from his addition. The Diablo franchise will likely be no exception.

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In fact, his leadership might be especially important with the release of Diablo IV. For the last several years, the Diablo franchise hasn't been held in the highest regard by fans. When it released on PC in 2012, and consoles in 2013, Diablo III experienced a number of technical issues that prevented it from being the game it was promised to be. The game has been fixed up (for the most part) now, but even with its first updates, the game was divisive among fans for a variety of factors, including the disappointing endgame.

And, of course, the announcement of a mobile Diablo game wasn't all too exciting for fans either. Diablo Immortal may be another entry in the beloved franchise, but isn't highly anticipated by many.

Fergusson just may be joining at an opportune time. Fergusson isn't renowned for designing gameplay concepts necessarily, but he is great at leading and selling various franchises, as seen by his leadership of the Gears of War franchise. His work on his portfolio that includes Gears of War and smaller, but successful titles like Shadow Complex shows that he knows how to lead a project to success. Hopefully, his undertaking of the Diablo series will have the same result.

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