It has been announced that Chris Metzen, one of the original team members behind World of Warcraft back in 1994, will be returning to Blizzard. Metzen left the company back in 2016 after 23 years to spend more time with his family, but he has now returned to Blizzard as a creative advisor for the World of Warcraft franchise.Metzen's return was revealed by Warcraft general manager John Hight, who posted a statement to his personal Twitter account. Hight reveals that Metzen will initially focus on World of Warcraft in particular for now, although he will move on to different projects as time goes by. Metzen hasn't yet explained why he's returning to Blizzard after 6 years away, but has responded to the reveal with enthusiasm."It is with great joy that I announce Chris Metzen has joined the Warcraft Leadership team as Creative Advisor," reads Hight's statement. "Chris's focus initially will be on World of Warcraft, then his work will expand to other projects across this growing franchise. Chris was one of the original team members working on the Warcraft universe back when it began in 1994, and we are so happy to be reuniting him with the world he helped create."
Most people have responded to Metzen's return with excitment, although some are a little more cautious. It's no secret that Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in several sexual harassment scandals over the past two years, most of which have veterans of the company at the forefront. Metzen has never been linked to any allegations, but one employee suggested he knew about the abuse after his apology to the women of Activision Blizzard back in July last year.
Metzen is rejoining Activision Blizzard at a pretty rocky time, as Microsoft's acquisition of the company looks to be coming up against its greatest obstacle yet in an antitrust lawsuit filed by the FTC. The deal will probably still go through, but it's extra time and effort that Microsoft probably wasn't expecting to spend getting it over the line.