New Game Director Announced For Heroes of the Storm
by JR Cook - 7 years ago show comments
In a bit of a surprise move, Dustin Browder announced earlier today that he will no longer be the Game Director for Heroes of the Storm. This makes more sense in hindsight given his reduced visibility at Blizzcon. Before you get too worried, Dustin isn’t leaving Blizzard, he is just transitioning to a new, and at this point undefined project.
Dustin has a storied history at Blizzard. Before adding Heroes of the Storm to his title, he was also Game Director of Starcraft 2. I was fortunate enough to meet Dustin on a few occasions, and even interview him once, and one of the things that always impressed me was his passion for Heroes and the community. I was also impressed with his thoughtful and measured communication on Twitter no matter how antagonistic or inflammatory the question. When I asked him how he dealt so well with the aggressive tweets he told me it was because he understood that those people were angry because they cared about the game. If you love Heroes as much as I do then tweet at Dustin Browder and tell him how much you appreciate what he has done for Heroes. If you would like to read Dustin’s statement in its entirety you can find it at the bottom of this post.
As for the future of Heroes of the Storm, the game will continue to be in good hands. Alan Dabiri, a twenty year veteran of Blizzard, and previously the Technical Director for Heroes of the Storm, will be taking over the helm.
Chances are you are already familiar with Alan. He has been a part of the Blizzcon Heroes panels for the last several years and he has been interviewed numerous by the various podcasts and websites that cover the game. While Dustin leaves behind some big shoes to fill, the future for Heroes of the Storm remains bright.
Working at Blizzard is the coolest. Our leaders support us in making the most awesome games I have ever played. We are encouraged to take the time we need to make them awesome, and then to keep improving them for years after they go live. We sometimes get exciting chances to work on other projects, too. I’m going to take one of those chances to try something new at Blizzard.
This was not an easy choice to make. I still play Heroes five nights a week, and sitting in the bullpen surrounded by this team has been the most intensely creative experience of my career. But one thing that’s making this decision easier is knowing the future of Heroes is in the right hands.
Over the last few months, I have been transitioning my responsibilities to Alan Dabiri, a 20-year Blizzard veteran and a fellow Heroes of the Storm fanatic. In fact, since StarCraft entered the Nexus in September, the Heroes team has been releasing some of our best content to date all without my daily involvement and I’ve been thoroughly blown away with what they have delivered. For those who haven’t seen him on BlizzCon panels or doing interviews, Alan has had a hand in nearly every aspect of Heroes since the beginning, both in his role as our technical director and as part of the team’s collaborative development process. Alan is also a passionate member of the community, and he’s always in touch with what’s happening on Reddit, in our forums, and wherever you’re talking about Heroes. He’s been relentlessly working to make Heroes better for years, and I’m excited that he’ll be continuing to push the game forward as game director.
The Heroes of the Storm team is one of the best game teams I have ever had the honor of serving on. I cannot believe how much work and love went into turning what started as a tiny mod into the epic experience that it has become today. And the team just continues to pour their passion, dedication, and expertise into patches, updates, and awesome new game features. 2017 is going to be a huge year for Heroes of the Storm, with new Heroes, Battlegrounds, a massive progression update, improvements to our ladder and matchmaking systems, new social systems, new Brawls, and more.
I would like to say a special “Thank You” to everyone in the Heroes community who continues to support us and challenge us to make Heroes better, including everyone who has shared feedback with us on our forums, Reddit, esports sites, and strategy sites, and anyone who has ever sent me a Tweet. You’re the best, and your dedication and passion has made being part of the Heroes community and working on this game a blast.
While my day-to-day responsibilities might take me away from working on Heroes, I can guarantee I’ll always be watching Heroes esports, cheering on Alan and the dev team, and geeking out about the game. And if you’re looking for me, you can find me playing Ranged Assassin or Support in the Nexus.
– Dustin Browder
