The one veteran leaves, the next one is already ready: Rod Fergusson, who once led Diablo 4 out of development hell, is leaving the franchise. Now the game is getting support – and from an old acquaintance.
Why did Rod Fergusson leave Blizzard? Fergusson himself wrote that the time has come for him to leave Blizzard or Microsoft “with sword in hand” and turn to new adventures. For five years he has driven the Diablo franchise forward with a total of four major releases. We reported here on how Fergusson was to live up to his reputation as “Closer” at Diablo 4.
Now another veteran takes the helm: John Yang, who started his career at Blizzard as a developer of Diablo 3.
Sanctuary calls again and John Yang answers
Who is the “new” developer at Diablo 4? John Yang brings more than a decade of Blizzard experience. According to LinkedIn he has worked on several major projects, including:
- Diablo 3 (Associate Game Designer)
- World of Warcraft (Game Designer)
- Hearthstone (Lead Systems Designer)
After leaving Blizzard in November 2021, he was active at Marathon (Bungie) and Apex Legends (Respawn Entertainment), among others. Now he returns to where it all began for him.
On September 9, 2025, he announced on LinkedIn:
I am very excited to share that I have returned to Blizzard Entertainment and joined the Diablo team as Design Director for Systems.
The Diablo games have always been a passion of mine. I have spent thousands of hours in the franchise, and ARPGs hold a special place in my heart. It feels incredible to close the loop and return to the team where I began my design career over a decade ago.
This franchise has shaped me as both a gamer and a developer, and it is an honor to help shape its future. Sanctuary calls again – the servants of hell are getting stronger…
These were his tasks at Diablo 3: John Yang was brought into the team to make Legendary Items feel more powerful (via Diablo Wiki). Specifically, he was responsible for the Barbarian, Demon Hunter, and Witch Doctor classes and designed numerous Legendaries and Sets for Reaper of Souls. He was also deeply involved in balancing all classes, items, sets, and Rifts.
In a comment on Reddit about his return, a user also points out that “Yang’s Recurve,” a legendary bow in Diablo 3, was named after the developer.
It is still unknown which classes, items, or systems John Yang will specifically take on in Diablo 4. What is certain is that in Season 10, we can expect a lot of new Uniques, but not only in the usual way. With the so-called Chaos Uniques, items are coming into play that can completely reshape your builds: Season 10 brings numerous new Uniques to Diablo 4, but not as you think
