Diablo III Art Designer Leaves Blizzard

Blizzard's Brian Morrisroe, art director on Diablo III, has decided to leave the company. Blizzard confirmed the departure to MTV's Multiplayer blog after the site discovered a job listing for the open position. "Regarding Brian, he recently resigned to form a startup technology company (outside the game industry)," said the company in a statement. Part of Morrisroe's legacy will likely be the somewhat controversial art design for Diablo III, which fans lambasted vocally in online petitions for what they thought was a lapse in its predecessor's traditionally bleak, Gothic look. But in emphasizing Morrisroe's new venture, Blizzard says the artistic style he helped pioneer will remain unchanged. "This change won’t impact the game," continued the statement. "We’re really pleased with the look and feel that Brian helped create for Diablo III, and the new person we bring onboard will work with the other artists on the team to maintain the art style moving forward."