“With my head in the clouds and my eyes on the stars, I am contemplating life after #Blizzard,” tweeted Alex Mayberry, decade-long Blizzard veteran and Diablo III’s lead producer.
And then, today: “Hailing @robertsspaceind at Cloud Imperium Games, requesting permission to board.”
In his new role, Mayberry will oversee product development for Chris Roberts’ overfunded space sim, and his underlings will call him executive producer.
Answering only to Chris Roberts himself, Mayberry will manage development across the Wing Commander’s new company – now named Cloud Imperium and somehow spanning three studios around the US already.
“After ten years at Blizzard, I didn’t think that there was anything that could ever get me to leave,” said Mayberry in a statement.
But then Roberts invited Mayberry to come and see what’s so far been built for Star Citizen. And that was enough.
“After seeing the game and listening to Chris talk about his vision, I knew that I had to be a part of it,” explained Mayberry. “Star Citizen is bold and ambitious, with a unique and innovative approach to game development.
“I strongly believe that together, with Chris Roberts’ direction and the support of the player community, we will set a new standard for triple-A games.”
With 43.6 million crowdfunded dollars in the bag and counting, you’d hope Cloud Imperium will manage to do something new. Do you think Mayberry can do more good there than he has on Diablo III, or WoW’s expansions since 2004?
Cheers, Develop.