Blizzard Entertainment

Rod Fergusson leaves Blizzard after 5 years with the company

After five years at the helm of the Diablo franchise, the industry veteran is leaving to pursue new opportunities.

Update: Aug 8th, 2025 21:59 CEST

It seemed like only yesterday that Rod Fergusson was leaving The Coalition after the releases of Gears of War 4 and 5 to head to a new and bloody experience. The director came to Blizzard to take charge of the Diablo franchise and, after a 5-year experience, has announced that he will be leaving the company.

The information was released through his different social networks. In his X account (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it’s time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what’s next.”

After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it's time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what's next. The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I'm incredibly proud of what… pic.twitter.com/Fsh4gjmgVl
— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) August 8, 2025

The news was confirmed by Johanna Faries, president of Blizzard, who thanked Fergusson for his time at the company and for guiding Diablo during the years he worked as general manager of the franchise.

Guiding a franchise like Diablo takes rare talent, vision, and collaboration. Thank you, Rod, for bringing all of those in spades. Sanctuary’s future is brighter because of the impact you’ve had! 🙏🏽✨ https://t.co/r479RGDkm3
— Johanna Faries (@Joh_Burg) August 8, 2025

Meanwhile, Phil Spencer himself, Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft Gaming, also thanked Fergusson for his time via his BlueSky account.

A career on the move

During his time at the company, he helped with the releases of Diablo Immortal in 2022 and Diablo IV in 2023, along with its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred, the following year. Fergusson’s reputation in the industry was for helping to close projects that had been a long time in the development process. That led him since 2012 to work at Irrational Games with BioShock Infinite, then to move on to Black Tusk Studios, which would go on to change its name to The Coalition, developing the remastered version of Gears of War, as well as the fourth and fifth installments in the series.