Jay Wilson recently announced plans to step down from his position at Blizzard as Diablo III director after more than seven years of working on the project. He's not planning to leave the company but rather work on a different project at Blizzard, according to a post he penned in the Battle.net forums.
Wilson said working on the game was one of the most challenging and rewarding periods of his life but he's reached a point creatively where he is looking forward to working on something new. Over the course of the next several weeks, he will be transitioning away from Diablo III and into a new, unspecified role at Blizzard.
He noted that the decision wasn't an easy one but ultimately it's what felt right. It's no secret that a number of community members disagreed with some of the decisions Wilson made with regards to the game - something he addresses personally in his departure message.
"I'm proud of Diablo III, and despite our differences at times I will miss the community that has formed around it. I feel I have made many mistakes in managing that relationship, but my intent was always to provide a great gaming experience, and be as open and receptive as possible, while still sticking true to the vision the Diablo team has for the game."
Fans of Diablo III are told that his departure won't negatively impact the ongoing support for the game. The team that made the title will carry forward as normal with lots of plans for the future. That future includes patch 1.0.7 which is reportedly well underway.
Late last year, Wilson announced the fact that there won't be a team deathmatch mode for Diablo III as originally planned. Objective issues and class balancing were two of the main elements that led to the mode being scrapped.