It’s a sad day for Blizzard since one of the company’s many talents decided to jump ship. Overwatch lead writer Michael Chu went on Twitter to officially announce that he’s leaving Blizzard in search of new adventures.
For those who didn’t know, Michael Chu was at the company for almost 20 years and worked on World of Warcraft and Diablo III prior dedicating himself to Overwatch. Michael Chu became a well-known face after the release of Overwatch and served as a lead game writer, creating lore and stories of the characters we’ve come to know and love.
In his personal letter to the community Michael Chu also said that the development of Overwatch became his 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. 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.”
The timing of departure form Blizzard is weird though. The company is currently developing Overwatch 2 which features a story-driven campaign in addition to the usual multiplayer and losing the lead writer has to hurt. In any case, we wish the very best for Michael and can’t wait to see where this talented guy will end up on his next venture.
