Lots of Blizzard fans went to tears, or went sad at least, as Chris Metzen decided to leave for good a couple of months ago. His reasons back then weren't clearly stated and now it's understandable on why he didn't fully disclose why. Today, he stepped out into the world to shed some light on his retirement.
Metzen has left the gaming industry on Sept. 12 at age 42. This is a surprise for everyone since he helped create a plethora of Blizzard's franchises like Diablo, Warcraft, and Starcraft. His job at Blizzard was VP for story and franchise when he exited. He is also well-known to be "the face of Blizzard".
A podcast segment from The Instance broadcasted a dialogue between Metzen and Scott Johnson, a podcaster, and had a lovely conversation as to why Metzen had to leave the company that he was with for the longest time - 20 years or more. You can click on the link to listen to the full interview.
Metzen says that he had a difficult time deciding to leave Blizzard. He was already hired at a young age of 19 and from then on, he has practically spent his whole life with the company. He also added that it somewhat consumed most of his life's time.
"Leaving Blizzard was an incredibly difficult thing...I'd been there since, essentially, I was a kid. I think I was 19 when I got hired and it was my whole life, it was my identity. And it was in many ways, all-consuming. It was just incredible, but there can be a cost sometimes to running that hard."
Why Metzen Quit Blizzard and the Gaming Industry in General
Just right after Overwatch's huge success, Metzen had felt a sudden change as a long-lasting effect from his years of hard work with Blizzard. He has been having panic attacks and anxiety that just won't go away. His actual words were, "I started having panic attacks left and right and just non-stop anxiety."
Metzen wasn't aware that what happened to him during his last days of work were actually panic attacks and anxiety. He even felt the symptoms while on leisure time.
"Before I finally retired, I think I had been having panic attacks all the time, but I didn't know what they were. Kat [Metzen's wife] and I would go on dates to go to a movie and almost all the time, I would start panicking in the middle of a movie. I had no idea what was going on."
On top of that, they also had a baby girl which further made Metzen decide to finally be off the industry.
On Panic Attacks
According to HelpGuide.org, a panic attack is a surge of anxiety and fear that is very overwhelming. The heart pounds and breathing becomes difficult. Another side effect is feeling that you're going crazy, and worse, the feeling of dying.
Panic attacks can be cured. The sooner help is acquired, the better for the patient. Treatment can reduce and ultimately eliminate the symptoms making the patient regain control of his/her life. As soon as Metzen gets cured, it would be awesome if he dips back to Blizzard every now and then. We could all use his magic touch. Get well, kind sir.
