Overwatch Lead Writer Michael Chu Leaves Blizzard

Overwatch’s lead writer and loremaster, Michael Chu, recently announced that he is parting ways with Blizzard. He played a major role in creating lore for many games including Diablo 3, World of Warcraft, and of course, Overwatch.

“Twenty years after first walking through the doors at Blizzard, I’m moving on to new adventures! Overwatch has been an amazing experience and one that I will treasure forever," Michael Chu tweeted recently. "Thank you to everyone for your support over the years!”

Chu began his career at Blizzard in 2000 as a game tester for the Diablo series and started working on bigger projects both at Blizzard and beyond as a designer and writer for games such as Diablo III: Reaper of Souls - Ultimate Evil Edition, Neverwinter Nights 2, World of WarCraft, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords and many more.

On Chu's personal blog site, he explained how Overwatch changed his life. “Overwatch has been a life-changing experience. I have always felt that games and the stories they tell have the unique ability to bring people closer together and that the empathy you feel from stepping into someone else’s shoes, even virtually, can bridge the gap between miles, cultures, and nations. Overwatch and its consistently generous and inspiring community have only reinforced that belief," he wrote. "I’ve heard stories of people learning a new language after hearing a line of dialogue, people feeling inspired to take a trip to a new place after “visiting” it in-game, and people meeting teammates across languages and borders to take up the cause of making our world a better place. But most of all: again and again, of people empathizing with a story about someone who is not the same as them.”

Chu’s departure from Blizzard probably won’t affect Overwatch 2 because the game seems to be well on its way through development and Chu's contributions as writer likely have already been implemented.

So, what are your thoughts on Michael Chu's departure from Blizzard? Are you excited for his upcoming work? Whatever your thoughts may be, let us know in the comments below.