Christ Metzen’s true reasons for his resignation are health-related. Panic attacks plagued his life.
For many fans, it was a horrifying announcement, when it became known that Chris Metzen was leaving Blizzard. He is one of the creative minds behind the many stories of Warcraft, Starcraft, and all the other universes that Blizzard has created over the years. The reason for his early retirement was that he felt burnt out and wanted to spend time on the things that really matter in life: his family.
But that was only half the truth. In a long interview with Scott Johnson, the former developer discussed the reasons that played into his decision. After 23 years of constant pressure to perform, the expectations became overwhelming. After every project, there was always the claim to surpass oneself again. This was coupled with the growing fear of disappointing Blizzard and the fans, and causing damage to the company’s image. But it didn’t end there. This burden became so great that Metzen regularly experienced panic attacks.
“I repeatedly had panic attacks and constant fear. Before I went into retirement, I believe I had panic attacks almost every day, but I didn’t know what they were. Kat [his wife] and I went on a date and wanted to watch a movie, and most of the time I would panic in the middle of the film. I had no idea what was going on.”
If you’re interested in the full interview, take a look at our sources. While there are no secrets about upcoming games, there is plenty of insight into daily work at Blizzard and the issues Metzen faced. It is certainly interesting even for non-Blizzard fans.
Cortyn says: I am still sad that Metzen is leaving the gaming scene as one of the creative minds. However, I can now understand the reasons much better, as when work affects one’s psyche and makes a normal life almost impossible, drawing a line is the only salvation. Let us hope that things get better for the good gentleman soon – perhaps his path will lead him back someday.
