As part of a family event from Blizzard, former Vice President Chris Metzen recorded a short video for World of Warcraft. This has touched many hearts.
Who is it about? It is about Chris Metzen, the former “Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development”, who is known to many fans as the mastermind behind the lore of World of Warcraft. He retired in 2016 due to panic attacks.
What has he done now? In conjunction with the “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work” day in the USA, Blizzard prepared a little extra. Many people have to stay home due to the current Corona crisis, but Blizzard did not want to let the day go by without acknowledgment.
So Chris Metzen stood in front of the camera and read from a book he contributed to: Snow Fight – A Warcraft Tale. It is essentially a children’s book filled with illustrations featuring Thrall, Varian Wrynn, and Arthas engaged in a snowball fight while learning about friendship and cooperation. We’ve embedded the five-minute video here for you:
Children’s Book Brings Joy and Nostalgia
The reactions to Metzen’s reading have brought sheer joy to many Blizzard fans. In a highly-rated comment on YouTube, the user Demon Salad mentions: “This is absolutely the best. The Man Himself is reading a bedtime story for me, a big baby.”
Metzen’s video seemingly touched at least as many adults as the story was supposed to appeal to children. Many of them are excited to hear from the genius behind Warcraft again.
Fans Are Moved Despite Frustrations with Blizzard
Recently, Blizzard has faced increasing problems. The situation has been ongoing for several years. Here is a brief overview:
- In 2016, Chris Metzen left the company
- In 2018, without much warning, the e-sport of Heroes of the Storm was discontinued, which hit many e-sport participants hard
- In the same year, CEO Mike Morhaime stepped down and shortly thereafter left Blizzard as well
- In early 2019, Blizzard laid off hundreds of employees despite strong numbers
- In January 2020, an insider report emerged that cast a grim shadow over the company
In the meantime, Blizzard also faced significant backlash over Diablo Immortal and the banned Hearthstone pro Blitzchung. One of the newer disasters is the situation surrounding Warcraft 3 Reforged, whose release went terribly wrong. On MeinMMO, Cortyn asks: “Where is the Blizzard that I love so much?“
This question has been circulating within the Blizzard community for some time, and many fans feel disappointed again each year. They simply do not like the changes happening at Blizzard.
However, Metzen’s presence has the exact opposite effect: they are glad to see his face, reminding them of the times of the “good Blizzard”.
Despite their grievances with Blizzard in recent years, they are genuinely happy about the video. Just a nice moment in an uncomfortable time. Fans only wish that he had read the book in his famous voice as Thrall.
The title image is from the YouTube video.
