Game industry veteran Rob Pardo announced today that he is leaving Blizzard Entertainment, ending a 17-year career with the company. "With long and careful contemplation, I have made a difficult and bittersweet but ultimately exciting decision to pursue the next chapter in my life and career," wrote Pardo. Until today Pardo had prominently served as Blizzard's chief creative officer, representing the company at numerous public events and industry conferences. Prior to that he served as an executive vice president of game design, and in that time he was named to Time Magazine's 2006 'Time 100' list for his work as a lead designer on World of Warcraft. Pardo was also the executive producer of Diablo III and is credited on countless other Blizzard titles. He also played a role in helping broker the deal between Blizzard and Legendary Pictures to produce an upcoming feature film based on World of Warcraft.