Chris Metzen, the original creative director of "World of Warcraft," who left Blizzard in 2016 (opens in new tab) after a 23-year career, is returning.Warcraft franchise general manager John Hight announced on Twitter (opens in new tab) that Metzen has joined the "Warcraft Leadership Team" as a creative advisor.

"Chris' focus will initially be on 'World of Warcraft' and then his work will expand to other projects throughout this growing franchise," Hight wrote.

"Chris was one of the original team members when the Warcraft Universe began in 1994, and we are thrilled to be reunited with the world he created.

Metzen had a remarkable run at Blizzard, working on the studio's foundational games; Moby (opens in new tab)games lists his early credits as documentation and "manual illustrations" for the original Warcraft

When Metzen left Blizzard in 2016, he held the position of senior vice president of story and franchise development, a position near the top. And unlike many of his peers at Blizzard (such as Ben Brode (open in new tab)), Metzen did not move on to other jobs, but instead retired.

He eventually returned to the gaming business, releasing the tabletop RPG Auroboros: Coils of the Serpents (opens in new tab) in 2021. Unfortunately, 2021 was also the year Metzen apologized for not taking action to stem the widespread discrimination and sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard (opens in new tab). Although Metzen has not publicly engaged in any wrongdoing, in July 2021 he and others in leadership positions at Blizzard said, "We let too many people down when they needed us the most, and I am sorry we did not act.