Four years ago, Russell Brower was let go from Blizzard and, in the past 24 hours – amidst the Activision Blizzard controversy – he has updated his Twitter bio and heading to reflect where he stands.
In the aftermath of the allegations against the company, his heading is now the Blizzard Entertainment logo with a giant red cross circle over the top. Meanwhile, his bio reads, "Composer, Music Director, Conductor – World of Warcraft, Diablo 3, StarCraft 2. Wish I could get those 12 years of my life back."
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Back in July 2017, he stated, "As the company has grown, the topography of the Sound team has adjusted accordingly, and the last couple of years have been no exception. With the success of a 'sound de-centralization initiative, my current position of overall Sr. Audio Director/Composer is no longer relevant and is being eliminated." At the time, this departure may have seemed mutual but, given his newly updated Twitter branding, it appears as though that was not the case.
Activison Blizzard's responses have been mixed on the allegations. The company publically denied the allegations, although an internal email from Blizzard president J. Allen Brack called them "extremely troubling" and asked any employee affected by them to discuss the matter with HR. However, a second internal email from chief complaince officer Frances Townsend called the allegations "distorted and untrue." Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime meanwhile apologised to his former employees, saying "I failed you." Diablo co-creator Chris Metzen echoed these remarks, saying "we failed, I'm sorry". All of the Activision Blizzard social media accounts have gone dark since the lawsuit broke, while work on World of Warcraft has apparently stopped completely.
Back in 2017, Brower said there was "an excellent chance" he'd continue to work on Blizzard games in a freelance capacity. Evidently, at least until the culture changes, it would appear as though Brower is done with the company.
Many have flocked to respond to Brower's sentiments. One fan wrote, "Don't regret those years. Your music inspired joy for millions of people," while another fan said, "Russell's music has shaped so much of my life. I understand how he feels, though. I've been a Blizzard player for 25 years and it feels like I've been unwittingly supporting predators. I can only imagine if something I had created was tied to it."
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