Rod Fergusson is leaving Microsoft yet again, as he has announced that he is moving on his position at Blizzard after five years of working on the Diablo franchise. It"s unclear why he is leaving his position at Blizzard, but he has helped ship major games in the series, including the Diablo II: Resurrected remaster, the Diablo Immortal mobile entry, and the most recent mainline release, Diablo IV.
Fergusson is known for his work on the Gears of War franchise, at both Epic Games and Microsoft in previous decades. His latest departure was announced via social media earlier today, where he said, "It"s time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what"s next."
"The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead," he added, teasing at what may be coming out of Blizzard"s Diablo development teams in the future.
After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it"s time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what"s next. The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I"m incredibly proud of what… pic.twitter.com/Fsh4gjmgVl
— Rod Fergusson (@RodFergusson) August 8, 2025
Blizzard President Johanna Faries thanked him for his time at Blizzard with a social media post as well, saying that "Guiding a franchise like Diablo takes rare talent, vision, and collaboration." Meanwhile, CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer also chimed in to add that "You brought strength, hellfire, and vision to one of gaming’s most iconic franchises. Playing Diablo IV with you was a blast—thanks for everything you gave to the game and the community."
Interestingly, this technically counts as the third time he has departed a Microsoft-owned game developer. His first stint at Microsoft lasted almost 10 years, with him leaving the company and joining Epic Games in 2005 to bring forth the Gears of War franchise. Then in 2014, he returned to Microsoft to join The Coalition studio and manage Gears of War once again.
Following that, Fergusson joined Blizzard Entertainment in 2020 for overseeing the Diablo franchise, but when Microsoft acquired the Activision-Blizzard group in 2023, he became a Microsoft studio member once more.
Fergusson did not give any hints at where he is aiming to take his video game management experience next. We will have to wait and see where the Gears of War and Diablo veteran ends up now to lead. It"s also unclear who will be taking his position at Blizzard now.