Greg Street was the mind behind the balance of the MMORPG World of Warcraft during the golden age of WoW from 2008 to 2013. After that, he worked for Riot Games on League of Legends and a new MMORPG in the world of LoL. Now he is planning his own fantasy MMORPG codenamed Ghost. For this, he is collaborating with NetEase, the Chinese company that had a terrible fallout with Blizzard.
Who is that?
- Most WoW fans will know Greg Street as “Ghostcrawler”; his totemic animal was a ghost crab. So it’s certainly not a coincidence that his new fantasy MMORPG bears the codename “Ghost.”
- Street was the lead system designer at Blizzard from 2008 to 2013 when WoW was still one of the most relevant games in the world: He was responsible for balancing and designing the classes.
- In the time that followed, he worked for Riot Games first on LoL and then on an MMORPG in the world of League of Legends.
Street left Riot after hardships during Corona
Why did he leave Riot Games? There were hints in March 2023 that Street had left his MMORPG project at League of Legends prematurely because he realized during the Corona pandemic that he wanted to spend more time with his family after suffering “devastating losses” there. In December 2022, he made it public that his father and brother had died (via Twitter).
However, Riot Games could not accommodate him on the issue of “working from home” as he wanted, so he left Riot Games, moved back to his family, and founded his own studio. He announced this in March 2023.
This is what he says today:
The hallmark of “Fantastic Pixel Castle,” Street’s new studio, will also be to focus on “Remote Work.” Here, they aim to hire the best talent they can find, regardless of location.
We are a fully remote studio, which allows us to hire the best game developers, and we plan to stay small so that we can quickly adapt and revise our design. We want to show the game to the community early and often to ensure that we are on the right track and to constantly incorporate feedback.
This is possible because NetEase is a strategic partner that understands our vision and gives us the creative freedom, resources, and support we need to succeed.
Who is his partner? He is making the game together with the Chinese gaming giant NetEase, who until a few months ago were Blizzard’s partners in China, before they parted ways in a dispute with much drama.
NetEase says that Street’s team includes former developers from WoW, LoL, and Guild Wars 2.
What do they want to showcase? They plan to unveil the new fantasy MMORPG Ghost on November 8 at 7 PM on Twitch.
In January, the MMORPG WoW ended in China because Blizzard parted ways with NetEase:
WoW: “I cried all night” – After 15 years, millions of players lose their favorite MMORPG
