Gears of Wars’ loss is set to become Diablo’s gain. After spending over a decade and a half working on one of Microsoft’s biggest franchises, The Coalition studio head Rod Fergusson will soon depart for Blizzard.
What is Rod Fergusson’s next role going to be?
He confirmed the move on Twitter, saying he will join the studio next month to “oversee the Diablo franchise.” Though he didn’t name a specific position on the team, he will likely serve as one of its higher-ups.
Starting in March, I will join Blizzard to oversee the Diablo franchise. Leaving is bittersweet as I love our Gears family, the fans, and everyone at The Coalition and Xbox. Thank you, it has been an honor and a privilege to work with you all. pic.twitter.com/0FuO3RFYSQ
— Rod Fergusson (@GearsViking) February 5, 2020
In a follow-up tweet, Fergusson said he’ll miss working on the Gears franchise and hyped the team’s upcoming Gears Tactics.
I began working on Gears of War over 15 years ago and since then, it has been the joy of my life. But now it’s time for a new adventure. I leave Gears in the great hands of The Coalition and can’t wait for everyone to play Gears Tactics on April 28. pic.twitter.com/Az5w0B631i
— Rod Fergusson (@GearsViking) February 5, 2020
It’s been quite a road for Fergusson over the years. He got his start in Microsoft in 1996, working in technical support and as a program manager, eventually moving on to work on Microsoft Train Simulator.
In 2005, he would make his biggest move to date, teaming up with Epic Games for its action franchise, Gears of War. He would continue working on it until 2012, when he worked alongside Irrational Games on its hit title, BioShock Infinite.
However, his travels would eventually lead him back to Microsoft in 2014. Once the company bought the rights to the series, he once again worked on Gears of War alongside the new developers at The Coalition. Over the years, they produced two high-end follow-ups, well received by fans — Gears of War 4 and last year’s Gears 5. As mentioned above, Gears Tactics will release this April.
With his pending move to Blizzard, Fergusson will undoubtedly lend his talents to the team’s upcoming Diablo IV, which was announced back in November during BlizzCon. There isn’t a release date as of yet for Diablo IV, but more information should be present at this year’s BlizzCon event.
We wish all the luck to Rod Fergusson on his new job!
