Blizzard Entertainment cofounder Frank Pearce leaves company
By Asher Madan
Another departure.
What you need to know
- Blizzard Entertainment's Frank Pearce is leaving the company.
- He's been at the studio for almost three decades.
- Blizzard has made an undeniable impact on the gaming industry.
- He wants to focus on his personal life it seems.
Almost three decades ago, Frank Pearce, along with his friends, founded Blizzard Entertainment. The studio has had a massive impact on the gaming industry because the team has produced titles like Diablo, Overwatch, and Starcraft. Recently, cofounder Mike Morhaime announced that he was leaving Blizzard. Today, Pearce did the same.
Pearce said the following on the studio's website. He discussed what he wanted to do next.
The time has come for me to step away from Blizzard and pass the torch to the next generation of leaders. My journey as part of the Blizzard community began over 28 years ago. Allen offered me an opportunity to join him and Mike in their adventure and dream to make video games. Video games were a passion that we shared, and I had only a fleeting hope that I would have the opportunity to make games one day... Everything I have done at Blizzard has been driven by my passion. I have worked very hard and very passionately for a very long time. Now it is time for me to reflect and be thoughtful about what comes next. I plan to spend more time active in the outdoors. I'd like to learn to play an instrument. I hope to devote more time to aspects of my life that may not have gotten as much attention in the past.
Blizzard's president J. Allen Brack added the following to Pearce's post.
The time has come to say goodbye to one of my heroes, one of our founders, as well as one of our friends. When I moved into my new position last year, Frank stepped into an advisory role to help with the transition, specifically working with Ray Gresko and me on our games, culture, and the future of Blizzard. His support has been invaluable to us and to say we're going to miss him is an understatement... Blizzard is better because of Frank Pearce.