Diablo 3 director retires from games industry after 17 years

Diablo 3 director Jay Wilson is leaving Blizzard Entertainment after a decade with the company.

"Sad to say after 10 of the best years of my life this will be my last week at Blizzard, and in the games industry," Wilson said on Twitter.

"I'm leaving to pursue my original passion, writing. It's what I was doing when I fell into this job, and I've always wanted to return to it," he added.

"I will dearly miss my friends at Blizzard. They've been the best, most dedicated, most passionate group of people I've ever met."

His work on Diablo 3 was derided by many due to the game's botched launch. Upon release there were numerous problems with the game's servers and login system. Even when the game did function properly many took issue with its controversial Auction House system of micro-transactions.

Eventually Wilson stepped down from the project and worked on the now cancelled Project Titan sci-fi MMO. After that he worked on the World of Warcraft expansion Warlords of Draenor.

Wilson has been working in video game development since 1999 when he began work at Cavedog Entertainment. Since then he worked at Monolith Productions, EA, and Relic Entertainment where he served as lead designer on Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War and Impossible Creatures.