Rod Fergusson, the most well known name and head of the studio behind the Gears of War franchise, has confirmed on Twitter he's departing The Coalition and Microsoft and heading for Blizzard, to take charge of the Diablo series.
Fergusson has been working on Gears since 2005, so this is a huge shift for both him and the franchise iteself. Of course, it's a good thing that he'll be heading up Diablo 4, or so we would assume, which gives me renewed hope about the future of the Diablo series.
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
Fergusson did stray into a brief stint with Irrational Games back in 2012 for a year, before returning to Gears of War under Microsoft, but this will be his first major time away from the series in nearly 15 years.
Gears Tactics will be Fergusson's final credited Gears game, and is due to release this April 28th. Blizzard itself has suffered a series of high profile departures, so this news will prove to be a big boost for the company in that regard.