NewsVideo Games

Gears of War Lead Rod Fergusson Leaving to Oversee Diablo at Blizzard

0
Rod Fergusson, Gears of War, Xbox, The Coalition, Blizzard

Gears of War lead and The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson is leaving to join Blizzard Entertainment. Just before Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox plans come into full view, Fergusson has sent out a heartfelt goodbye to his Gears of War family, saying that, “it’s time for a new adventure.” He is joining Blizzard to oversee the Diablo franchise. Fergusson says he will step into his new position in March after starting work on Gears 15 years ago.

It seems there isn’t any bad blood between Fergusson and publisher Microsoft, as moments after the news broke, Xbox head Phil Spencer replied with well-wishes.

The Coalition launched Gears 5 in September of 2019 and is currently working on Gears Tactics. Fergusson was a key member of the team that first brought the Microsoft franchise to life when it debuted in 2006 from Epic Games and has been involved with every entry in the series since. Fergusson joined Epic Games in 2005 and stayed with the then-Gears developer until moving over to the now-closed Irrational Games in 2012. Following a year-stint there, he worked at Black Tusk as a studio manager and then concurrently with The Coalition as studio head.

Blizzard is currently in the middle of developing the highly anticipated Diablo IV, which was revealed at BlizzCon late last year.

About the author

Michael Cripe
Michael joined The Escapist team back in 2019 as a news reporter but has been covering games, movies, TV, and music since 2015. Most of his time is spent on the news team, but you’ll definitely see his name pop up in the opinion and interview sections from time to time. From the most obscure indie games to the industry’s AAA juggernauts, there’s nothing Michael isn’t interested in digging into. The vast majority of Michael’s work can be found at The Escapist, but his bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Journalism has led him to other sites like OnlySP, Gameranx, and Kansas City’s The Pitch. When he’s not writing, Michael is probably playing Super Mario Sunshine, Dead Space, or The Binding of Isaac. If you’d like to connect and talk about the latest in pop-culture, you can follow Michael on Twitter (@MikeCripe), Instagram (mike_cripe), or LinkedIn if that’s your thing, I guess.