Chris Metzen

Chris Metzen
Metzen at the 2009 BlizzCon
Born
Christopher Vincent Metzen

(1973-11-22) November 22, 1973 (age 51)
Occupations
Years active1993–2016
2022–present
Employer(s)Warchief Gaming
Blizzard Entertainment
TitleExecutive Creative Director
Spouse
Kat Hunter
(m. 2013)
Children3

Christopher Vincent Metzen (born November 22, 1973)[1] is an American game designer, artist, voice actor, and author known for his work creating the fictional universes and scripts for Blizzard Entertainment's three major award-winning media franchises: Warcraft, Diablo and StarCraft. Metzen was hired by Blizzard Entertainment as an animator and an artist, his first work for the company was with the video game Justice League Task Force.[2]

Metzen was the Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development at Blizzard Entertainment and assisted the company's projects by providing voice talent for a number of characters, most notably the orc character Thrall, as well as contributing to artistic character design. Metzen retired in September 2016 to spend more time with his family, but returned to the company as a creative advisor in December 2022. He was made the executive creative director of Warcraft in September 2023.[3]

In his most recent work, Metzen co-authored graphic novels, Transformers: Autocracy and Transformers Monstrosity with author Flint Dille and artist Livio Ramondelli.[4]

  1. ^ Schiesel, Seth (February 10, 2005). "The Game Is a Hit, But the Work Isn't Done". The New York Times. Retrieved September 12, 2008.
  2. ^ Vortex, Cecil (April 21, 2008). "An Interview with Chris Metzen". Archived from the original on July 6, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
  3. ^ Gerblick, Jordan (September 26, 2023). "Blizzard puts original WoW director Chris Metzen back in the saddle to lead Warcraft's "next generation of adventures"". gamesradar. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  4. ^ "SDCC 2012 Coverage: IDW announces Transformers MONSTROSITY". Seibertron. July 14, 2012.