John Hight

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John Hight is an American video game producer and executive. He is the president of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming at Hasbro. [1] He previously held senior roles at Blizzard Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Electronic Arts, and Atari. [2] [3] Hight's production and design credits span franchises such as World of Warcraft, Diablo III, God of War, Command & Conquer, and Magic: The Gathering. [2] [4]

Contents

Career

Hight began his career in the early 1990s at The 3DO Company and joined Electronic Arts in 1996 as executive producer and director of design. [2] [5] While at EA and Westwood Studios, he served as director of design, and CG director on Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 and its expansion Yuri's Revenge. [6] [7]

In 2005, Hight joined Sony Computer Entertainment America as director of product development. He led internal development at Sony Santa Monica Studio, overseeing God of War III. [8] [9] [10] He also led development on the first generation of games for the PlayStation Network and was responsible for signing early titles from thatgamecompany, including flOw, where he served as executive producer. [11] [4] [12]

In 2011, Hight joined Blizzard Entertainment as lead producer on World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. [13] He later became executive producer and general manager for the Warcraft franchise, overseeing development and business operations for World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Warcraft Rumble, and Warcraft III: Reforged. [2] [14] He also directed production on Diablo III: Reaper of Souls and was involved in the removal of the in-game auction house. [15] [16] [17] Hight left Blizzard in 2024 after more than a decade with the company. [18]

In 2024, he was appointed President of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming at Hasbro, where he leads strategy and development across tabletop and digital platforms. [19] [20] [21]

References

  1. Soper, Taylor (2024-07-18). "Longtime World of Warcraft leader John Hight named president at Wizards of the Coast". GeekWire. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Writer, Sophie McEvoy Staff (2024-06-14). "John Hight leaves Blizzard Entertainment". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  3. "John Hight, God of War III director of product development". Engadget. 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  4. 1 2 Chaplin, Heather (2009-03-23). "Video Game Grad Programs Open Up The Industry". NPR. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  5. "Hoe de ontwikkeling van videogames afgelopen decennium is veranderd". Mashable Benelux (in Dutch). 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  6. "Nox Features: Exclusive Interview with John Hight & Mike Booth | Hecubah.com" . Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  7. "Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge credits (Windows, 2001)". MobyGames. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  8. Beck, Kellen (2019-10-21). "How Video Game Development Has Changed Over The Last Decade". Mashable India. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  9. Obedkov, Evgeny (2024-06-14). "Warcraft GM John Hight starts "new quest" after 12 years at Blizzard: look back at his career journey". Game World Observer. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  10. "Sony's timing tricky for God of War III". Los Angeles Times. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  11. "The State of PlayStation Network: John Hight Interviewed". gamedeveloper.com. 4 March 2008.
  12. Rutkoff, Aaron (2006-11-28). "How a Grad-School Thesis Theory Evolved Into a PlayStation 3 Game - WSJ". Wall Street Journal. ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  13. Cortyn (2024-06-14). "WoW loses another chief – John Hight is stepping down". Mein-MMO. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  14. published, Heather Newman (2024-06-16). "After 12 years at Blizzard, Warcraft general manager John Hight announces departure: 'I've been so honored to serve all of the heroes of Azeroth'". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  15. "Diablo 3 auction houses are doomed by developer Blizzard". BBC News. 2013-09-18. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  16. Robertson, Adi (2013-09-17). "Blizzard shutting down 'Diablo III' auction house, wants players to get back to killing monsters". The Verge. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  17. Moore, Bo. "Why Diablo's Auction House Went Straight to Hell". Wired. ISSN   1059-1028 . Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  18. Hutton, Christopher (2024-07-19). "What Wizards of the Coast's New CEO John Hight Means for Dungeons & Dragons in 2024 - The Fandomentals". www.thefandomentals.com. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  19. Didymus-True, Mike (2024-07-18). "Hasbro brings in veteran Blizzard senior exec John Hight as Wizards of the Coast, digital gaming president -" . Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  20. Langsworthy, Billy (2024-07-23). "Hasbro welcomes John Hight as President of Wizards of the Coast and Digital Gaming". Mojo Nation. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
  21. Buckley, Thomas (18 Jul 2024). "Hasbro Names Microsoft's John Hight to Lead Wizards Division". Bloomberg News .