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Diablo 4’s new game director is its design lead Joe ShelyHe’s stepping up to replace Luis Barriga
He’s stepping up to replace Luis Barriga
Blizzard have published another of their quarterlyDiablo IVupdate posts. This month’s begins with a message from Shely, previously a design lead on Diablo IV, who’s also worked onDiablo IIIand World Of Warcraft, who acknowledges that “a lot has happened since our last blog,” which was back in June.
“Like many of you, our team has been reflecting upon recent events,” Shely says, adding that “the hard work of practicing the values we aspire to must continue.” As far as acknowledgement of “recent events” goes, that’s about it, though. Shely discusses the importance of sound design in the world of Diablo and hands overthe update postto the folks in charge of talking about that area of the game’s development.
Back when Blizzard announced they’d let Barriga and other employees go, they said, “We have a deep, talented roster of developers already in place and new leaders have been assigned where appropriate. We are confident in our ability to continue progress, deliver amazing experiences to our players, and move forward to ensure a safe, productive work environment for all.”
So as to avoid getting them too mixed up, this is the result of just one of several labor and workplace issues that Blizzard are currently navigating. The Communications Workers Of America union hasalso filed chargesagainst ActiBlizz related to employee rights to self-organise. TheSEC are also investigatingthe company for not disclosing issues to investors. They’ve alsocommitted to an $18 million settlementwith the EEOC over a different sexual harassment and discrimination case.
