Rod Fergusson

As general manager for the Diablo® franchise at Blizzard Entertainment, Rod Fergusson oversees the company’s collective efforts around all things Diablo, including Diablo IV, Diablo II: Resurrected, and Diablo Immortal. In addition to coordinating production for multiple development teams, he oversees the ongoing creation of new Diablo content, and explores new opportunities to extend the Diablo universe to audiences around the world. 

Rod began his career with a 10-year stint at Microsoft where his work included Counter-Strike for the original Xbox. He then served as executive producer and then director of production for the Gears of War franchise at Epic Games. After Epic Games, Rod oversaw development of the highly-rated BioShock Infinite as executive vice-president of development at Irrational Games. Then, in 2014, he returned to Microsoft to help form The Coalition studio and relaunch the Gears of War franchise, releasing five games in six years, and expanding the series into new genres and more platforms. In March of 2020, Rod, a lifelong fan of Blizzard Entertainment games, joined the studio in his current role to help lead the charge for the future of Diablo and its return to darkness. 

Evolving Sanctuary: Building a Resilient Live-Service Game in Diablo IV 

Rod Fergusson (General Manager, Diablo) delves into the intricate and challenging balancing act of live-service game development with Diablo IV and its long-term outlook as a prime case study. Launched in June 2023, Diablo IV has been continuously shaped by a blend of developer-driven innovation and community feedback, evolving alongside the high expectations for ongoing games. This discussion will explore how the team navigated initial missteps with its seasonal rollout, refined progression systems, built a sustainable and healthy content cadence, and launched new story content—all while staying true to the game’s core identity and responsibly deploying team resources with long-term well-being in mind. Additionally, the talk will dive into the supportive tools and technical implementations necessary to effectively balance a wealth of player feedback against development decisions. Attendees will gain insights into the telemetry tools and player dialogue that fuel Diablo IV’s development, along with strategies, surprises, and key lessons learned in building a live-service title supported by multiple teams that seeks to deepen engagement with every update.