Blizzard’s Senior Art Director Samwise Didier Retires After 30 Years With The Company

Blizzard Entertainment’s senior art director Samwise Didier has announced his retirement after 30 years with the iconic video game company. He ed Blizzard back in 1991 and has been instrumental in shaping the art style and look of several big-name titles, including the Warcraft and Diablo franchises.

“Today is a huge day for me and I wanted to share the news with you all. I am retiring from my beloved Blizzard Entertainment, and today will be my last day,” tweeted Didier. “I learned almost everything I know about art there.”

“I learned how to use a computer (I only knew Atari 2600 and Nintendo), I learned how to use Photoshop, I learned how to create UI and make thousands of buttons,” he added. “I learned how to create 3D models of my art, how to texture and animate them, and even make them shoot fireballs or lasers. I got to see my art come to life! Hell, I even ed my first band at Blizzard. And to top it all off, I got to work on some of the greatest games this here ol' world has ever known. Thank you Blizzard, for everything.”

Blizzard president Mike Ybarra responded with his own tweet, saying that, “Your talent helped build Blizzard’s signature art style, and I know many of our artists have learned so much from you over the years. Thanks for what you did for them, and for gamers and artists everywhere.”