Blizzard Veteran Scott Mercer Retires After 26 Years
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| Author Paul Goño
The long-time game designer worked on games like Starcraft, Warcraft III and Overwatch 2 during Scott Mercer's time at Blizzard
Mostly known for his work on World of Warcraft, Scott Mercer has decided to retire after more than 2 decades of game development. He revealed the news in a recent tweet, briefly reminiscing his time on the team. In the same message, he expressed his future plans which was only to focus on his physical and mental health.
I've retired after 26 years as a game designer at Blizzard. Had a great run working on so many cool games with so many great people over that time.
Now I'm moving on to the new phase of my life where I devote my time and energy to improving my health, both physical and mental.— Scott Mercer (@GScottM) June 19, 2023
The game expert has taken on several lead roles and level editing jobs throughout his tenure, with Overwatch 2 systems designer being his last. Game Design, Quality Assurance, Creative Services and even Technical Support were part of his résumé.
If you've ever enjoyed Warcraft expansions like Frozen Throne or Wrath of the Lich King, you have him to thank. Additionally, the developer also helped with the game design of Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls, which earned $2.7m in its first week.
Mercer has been a member of the Blizzard Development Family since 1998, and has witnessed the meteoric rise of the entertainment giant first-hand. As such, the company owes the guy a lot. Here's a list of all his major credits from the past 26 years.
- StarCraft (Quality Assurance, 1998)
- StarCraft: Brood War (Game Design, 1998)
- WarCraft II: Battle Chest (Game Design, 1999)
- Diablo II (Quality Assurance, 2000)
- WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos (Game Design, 2002)
- WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne (Game Design, 2003)
- World of WarCraft (Game Design, 2004)
- World of WarCraft: The Burning Crusade (Game Design, 2007)
- World of WarCraft: Cataclysm (Game Design, 2010)
- World of WarCraft: Mists of Pandaria (Game Design, 2012)
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (Game Design, 2014)
- StarCraft II: Legacy of the Void (Technical Support, 2015)
- Heroes of the Storm (Development, 2015)
- Overwatch (Game Design, 2016)
- World of WarCraft: Battle for Azeroth (Game Development, 2018)
- WarCraft III: Reforged (Game Development, 2020)
- Overwatch 2 (Systems Designer, 2022)
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