World of Warcraft Narrative Director Quietly Left Blizzard Last Year

Former World of Warcraft narrative director Steve Danuser recently confirmed he left Blizzard in November 2023 over remote work concerns, and due to the desire for a change of pace. After months of radio silence from the story dev, World of Warcraft fans finally have an answer on Danuser’s status with the company.

Steve Danuser has been writing stories for World of Warcraft since 2015 as a senior narrative designer, but he became narrative director after the infamous Alex Afrasiabi took his leave in 2020. His hand guided the narrative through the end of Battle for Azeroth, as well as the bulk of Shadowlands and Dragonflight. However, after the return of Chris Metzen as World of Warcraft‘s creative director in September 2023, little had been heard from Danuser, leading some to wonder if he had left the company. This speculation was further fueled when fans discovered his LinkedIn profile, which indicated he was no longer with Blizzard.

Now, Danuser has confirmed he departed from the company last November, and clarified the reason behind it. Danuser – who lives in Minneapolis-Saint Paul – said his desire to continue remote work was a big reason, considering his distance from the Blizzard campus in Irvine, California. That said, he also left the company due to a growing desire for new scenery. “Wanting to continue working remotely was a factor, as I’m a big believer in the effectiveness of online team collaboration,” Danuser told PC Gamer in a recent interview, “But eight years is a long time to work on a single game, and while helping to architect WoW‘s story direction for the next several years was challenging and rewarding, more and more lately I’ve felt the itch to stretch my creativity in new directions.”

World of Warcraft Projects Authored By Danuser

• The Hunter Order Hall campaign and Thas’dorah questline in Legion.
• Many early Allied Race quests.
• The whispers and prophecies from Il’gynoth and N’zoth.
• The Dark Mirror and Visage Day short stories, the Windrunner: Three Sisters comic, and the Grimoire of Shadowlands and Beyond lore book.
• Many in-game books, including ones from the Forbidden Reach and the Emerald Dream in Dragonflight.
• Scripts from many “stay awhile” conversations, cutscenes, and memorable moments including:
  • The Loyalist scene from Battle for Azeroth that confirmed Sylvanas and Nathanos’ romantic relationship.
  • The Loyalist scene from the Forsaken Heritage questline from Dragonflight Patch 10.1.7
  • Naleidea Rivergleam’s iconic “Guards! Arrest this handsome wizard!” line from the Horde Dragonflight opening.

Though fans are divided on Danuser’s stories, especially from the polarizing Shadowlands expansion, his optimism, leadership, and drive for inclusivity were highlights of his career. He was responsible for introducing Chromie as the first trans character in WoW, which set the stage for Pelagos in Shadowlands. He was also given the reins of the story in the aftermath of the Burning of Teldrassil – a controversial story arc that was only just recently resolved – and had to guide the game in light of the sexual harassment and discrimination controversies from 2021, so few could envy him of his position.

At the moment, Danuser has nothing to share about his future plans. “I was fortunate enough to be able to relax and recharge over the holiday season,” he said. “As for what’s next, I am not announcing anything yet, but I look forward to exciting things in 2024.” With his tenure at Blizzard over, and the full scope of Danuser’s influence on World of Warcraft now evident, fans of his work will have to see what is next in store for the game developer.

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight

World of Warcraft: Dragonflight was developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the ninth expansion pack for the iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft.

Dragonflight features an overhauled user interface, raises the level cap to 70, and introduces a new race and class. 

Released

November 28, 2022