Rod Fergusson is a familiar name to Gears of War fans since he has been the studio head of The Coalition for over 15 years. It appears, however, that Fergusson is ready for a change. Blizzard Entertainment has announced that Fergusson will be joining the studio in March and that he has been tapped to oversee the entire Diablo franchise.
I began working on Gears of War over 15 years ago and since then, it has been the joy of my life. But now it’s time for a new adventure. I leave Gears in the great hands of The Coalition and can’t wait for everyone to play Gears Tactics on April 28. pic.twitter.com/Az5w0B631i
— Rod Fergusson (@GearsViking) February 5, 2020
Starting in March, I will join Blizzard to oversee the Diablo franchise. Leaving is bittersweet as I love our Gears family, the fans, and everyone at The Coalition and Xbox. Thank you, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with you all. pic.twitter.com/0FuO3RFYSQ
— Rod Fergusson (@GearsViking) February 5, 2020
Fergusson comes to the Diablo series at a tenuous time in its history. At Blizzcon 2018, the company announced Diablo Immortal for mobile devices. To say that the announcement went over poorly is to greatly understate how upset many in the audience and the wider community were. In fact, the reaction was so bad, that it entered legendary meme status.
At Blizzcon 2019, Diablo 4 was (finally) officially announced, the very thing fans had been looking for in 2018. While excitement is high for the fourth game in the beloved series, it has come with the caveat that alpha and/or beta testing is nowhere in sight and that there are no plans for a 2020 release.
Fergusson’s leadership is coming at a good time for Diablo with his experience managing a popular IP like Gears of War. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the development of the game after he officially joins up in March.
