'Gears Of War' Visionary Rod Fergusson Joins Blizzard To Help With 'Diablo'

Rod Fergusson, one of the men behind the highly acclaimed “Gears of War” franchise and head honcho of Canadian video game developer The Coalition, has stepped down from his position to join Blizzard “to oversee the Diablo franchise” starting next month.

Fergusson said in a Twitter post that his departure was “bittersweet” while at the same time, extending his heartfelt gratitude to his Gears family, The Coalition, Xbox and fans of his exploits.

“Thank you, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with you all,” he said.

Fergusson started his career with Microsoft in 1996 where he provided technical support to customer enterprise. By 2005, he shifted to Epic Games and served as executive producer and production director of “Gears of War.”

He joined Irrational Games in 2012 and helped with the creation of “BioShock Infinite” as executive vice president of development. Fergusson then returned to Microsoft after the company purchased “Gears of War” from Epic Games in 2014 and hired him to oversee The Coalition.

Fergusson last served as director of “Gears 5,” said IGN.

With video games running through his games, a number of titles has been associated with Fergusson, including the cult classic “Half-Life: Counterstrike,” “Unreal Tournament 3,” “Infinity Blade” and the entire “Gears” lineup.

His expertise will definitely be a huge boost to Blizzard, especially now that “Diablo IV” is already in development and has already overshadowed the mundane welcome of “Diablo Immortal.”