Starcraft Producer and Designer Leaves

Blizzard Entertainment on Wednesday confirmed that a group of ten employees has left Blizzard. One of those employees, James Phinney, a producer and designer for Starcraft, resigned to help form a new and unnamed development studio.

Other employees in the group that left Blizzard include one programmer, several artists, and a webmaster. Presumably, all these employees left to pursue positions with the unnamed development house, and each member of the departing group was working on various projects inside the company.

"While each of these individuals has made valuable contributions to our products, Blizzard's success has never been attributed to any individual or small group of individuals," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "Our goal today is no different than it was yesterday or even five years ago. Blizzard remains focused on creating the best games in the world, and I am confident that we have the team in place to reach that vision. I know firsthand the challenges that face any new developer, but hopefully, the group's experiences and association with Blizzard will better equip them for success. We wish the team nothing but the best and look forward to seeing their first game."

Blizzard says that the departure of the group may only affect the development cycle for Warcraft II Platinum and the company's web site but believes that other projects including Brood War, Diablo II, and two other unannounced projects would not be affected.

GameSpot News contacted a Blizzard spokesperson who said Blizzard wished the group the best of luck in its new endeavor. When asked if Blizzard was pursuing any deals with the new developer, the spokesperson said, "Probably not."

We should be hearing where the group is headed and what it plans to do in a release due out in the next few days. Until then, we'll have to wait to hear the other side of the story.