Chris Metzen
Encyclopedia
Christopher Vincent Metzen (born 1973) is an American
game designer, artist
, voice actor and author
known for his work creating the fictional universe
s and scripts for Blizzard Entertainment's
three major award-winning media franchises: Warcraft
, Diablo
and StarCraft
. On occasion, Metzen has published his art under the alias "Thundergod". Metzen was hired by Blizzard Entertainment as an animator
and an artist; his first work for the company was with the video game Justice League Task Force
.
Metzen is currently the vice president of creative development at Blizzard Entertainment and has assisted the company's projects by providing voice talent for a number of characters, as well as contributing to artistic character design
. Outside of Blizzard Entertainment, Metzen authored a graphic novel
series based on a futuristic second American civil war.
. In 1981, he illustrated game manual art for Sir-Tech
Inc.'s Wizardry
series of computer role-playing games. He later applied to Blizzard Entertainment
, then known as Silicon & Synapse, on the recommendation of a friend who had seen his work. He was quickly recruited by the company, although Metzen states that at the time he did not really know what Blizzard Entertainment dealt with, assuming it was a graphic design studio
rather than a video game developer
.
Metzen's first work for the company was with the game Justice League Task Force
, in which he provided artwork and character animation. Around the same time, Metzen also contributed to 1994's Warcraft: Orcs and Humans by working on artwork, illustrations and the game's documentation. Later video games by Blizzard Entertainment would frequently include Metzen's work in manual design, illustration and concept art
. However, Metzen's role in developing later Warcraft games increased significantly with 1995's Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
, which gave him the opportunity to work on the game's fantasy-based fictional universe
in addition to designing the game's various scenarios and missions.
In 1997, Blizzard Entertainment launched its second major franchise with the role-playing game Diablo
. Diablos fictional universe was created by both Metzen and fellow designer Bill Roper
, and Metzen also provided voice acting
for some of the game's characters. On occasion, Metzen would provide voice talent for later video games. In 1998 he took the role of lead designer on the science fiction
strategy
game StarCraft
. Along with James Phinney, Metzen again provided the game's extensive story and script, as well as organizing the voice casting
for the game. In 1999, Metzen wrote a short story
set in the StarCraft universe with fellow Blizzard Entertainment employee Sam Moore. The story, entitled Revelations, was published in the spring issue of Amazing Stories
with cover artwork by Samwise Didier
. Returning to the Diablo series in 2000 with Diablo II
, Metzen worked on the game's story, script and artwork. In 2001, he published a novel set in the Warcraft universe, entitled Of Blood and Honor
.
With 2002's Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
, Metzen was the creative director, a role he would hold in all of Blizzard's later video games, and provided the game's story concept and script. Metzen's work with 2004's massively multiplayer online role-playing game
World of Warcraft
was not as extensive as his earlier work, but he still contributed with script writing, artwork and voice work.
Metzen announced in early 2005 that he was working on graphic novel
series independent of Blizzard Entertainment. The series, entitled Soldier: 76, is set in a second American civil war
in 2010, with increased domestic and global terror threats and the increase in power for the US federal government
over that of local state governments serving as a background. Metzen wrote the series' script, while Brazil
ian artist Max Velati was responsible for the illustration and painting of the book.
In Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, Metzen voices the marine units.
", stating that he first started creating comics at the age of twelve, but that he had held an interest in drawing since at least six. He states that he still retains a habit of spending "an average thirty-five dollars per week" on comics books. A fan of Dungeons & Dragons
, Metzen cites the Dragonlance
series of novels and Star Wars
as the primary inspirations for his fantasy
and science fiction
creations, and names fantasy and comic book artists such as Walt Simonson
and Keith Parkinson
as his artistic inspirations. He defines his artistic style as having been "heavily influenced by Walt Simonson's and Jim Lee's
pencilling styles for form" while preferring the "costuming, themes and general feel of Larry Elmore
and Keith Parkinson's fantasy paintings". In addition to art, Metzen's interests include pop
and rock music
, the nightlife
, and dirt bikes. Metzen has a daughter, Sofia, who was born in 2003 and a son, Lucas, born in 2008. He and his wife, April, reside in Santa Ana, CA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
game designer, artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, voice actor and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
known for his work creating the fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
s and scripts for Blizzard Entertainment's
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
three major award-winning media franchises: Warcraft
Warcraft (series)
Warcraft is a franchise of video games, novels, and other media originally created by Blizzard Entertainment. The series is made up of Four core games: Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, and World of Warcraft...
, Diablo
Diablo (series)
Diablo is an action role-playing game franchise owned and produced by Blizzard Entertainment. , the series has sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide.-Story:...
and StarCraft
StarCraft (series)
StarCraft is a military science fiction media franchise created by Chris Metzen and James Phinney, and owned by Blizzard Entertainment. The series centers on a galactic struggle for dominance between three species—the adaptable and mobile Terrans, the insectoid Zerg, and the enigmatic Protoss—in a...
. On occasion, Metzen has published his art under the alias "Thundergod". Metzen was hired by Blizzard Entertainment as an animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
and an artist; his first work for the company was with the video game Justice League Task Force
Justice League Task Force (video game)
Justice League Task Force is a Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis tournament fighting game developed by Sunsoft and published by Acclaim in 1995. The Mega Drive version was co-developed by Condor, Inc...
.
Metzen is currently the vice president of creative development at Blizzard Entertainment and has assisted the company's projects by providing voice talent for a number of characters, as well as contributing to artistic character design
Character creation
Character creation is the process of defining a game character or other character. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a largely fictional setting may include traits such as race and class...
. Outside of Blizzard Entertainment, Metzen authored a graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
series based on a futuristic second American civil war.
Career
Metzen began his career working with art and animationAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. In 1981, he illustrated game manual art for Sir-Tech
Sir-Tech
Sir-Tech Software, Inc. was a United States-based video game developer and publisher founded by Robert Woodhead and Norman Sirotek. While the original company closed its doors in 2001, its Canadian counterpart Sir-Tech Canada continued to operate up until late 2003.Sir-Tech is best known for the...
Inc.'s Wizardry
Wizardry
Wizardry is a series of computer role-playing games, developed by Sir-Tech, which were highly influential in the development of modern console and computer role playing games. The original Wizardry was a significant influence to early console RPGs, such as Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. ...
series of computer role-playing games. He later applied to Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher founded on February 8, 1991 under the name Silicon & Synapse by three graduates of UCLA, Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham and Frank Pearce and currently owned by French company Activision Blizzard...
, then known as Silicon & Synapse, on the recommendation of a friend who had seen his work. He was quickly recruited by the company, although Metzen states that at the time he did not really know what Blizzard Entertainment dealt with, assuming it was a graphic design studio
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
rather than a video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
.
Metzen's first work for the company was with the game Justice League Task Force
Justice League Task Force (video game)
Justice League Task Force is a Super NES and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis tournament fighting game developed by Sunsoft and published by Acclaim in 1995. The Mega Drive version was co-developed by Condor, Inc...
, in which he provided artwork and character animation. Around the same time, Metzen also contributed to 1994's Warcraft: Orcs and Humans by working on artwork, illustrations and the game's documentation. Later video games by Blizzard Entertainment would frequently include Metzen's work in manual design, illustration and concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
. However, Metzen's role in developing later Warcraft games increased significantly with 1995's Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness
Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness is a fantasy-themed real-time strategy game published by Blizzard Entertainment and first released for DOS in 1995 and for Mac OS in 1996...
, which gave him the opportunity to work on the game's fantasy-based fictional universe
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
in addition to designing the game's various scenarios and missions.
In 1997, Blizzard Entertainment launched its second major franchise with the role-playing game Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
. Diablos fictional universe was created by both Metzen and fellow designer Bill Roper
Bill Roper (video game producer)
Bill Roper is a video game designer and has been a well-known person in the worldwide gaming industry since 1994. He personally represents the games he works and has built a solid reputation with his strong relationships with press, developers, and gamers...
, and Metzen also provided voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
for some of the game's characters. On occasion, Metzen would provide voice talent for later video games. In 1998 he took the role of lead designer on the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game StarCraft
StarCraft
StarCraft is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The first game of the StarCraft series was released for Microsoft Windows on 31 March 1998. With more than 11 million copies sold worldwide as of February 2009, it is one of the best-selling...
. Along with James Phinney, Metzen again provided the game's extensive story and script, as well as organizing the voice casting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
for the game. In 1999, Metzen wrote a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
set in the StarCraft universe with fellow Blizzard Entertainment employee Sam Moore. The story, entitled Revelations, was published in the spring issue of Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories
Amazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
with cover artwork by Samwise Didier
Samwise Didier
Sam "Samwise" Didier is the art director at Blizzard Entertainment. He is responsible for creating much of the artwork for computer games in the Warcraft, StarCraft, and the Diablo series. He is the senior art director on StarCraft II...
. Returning to the Diablo series in 2000 with Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
, Metzen worked on the game's story, script and artwork. In 2001, he published a novel set in the Warcraft universe, entitled Of Blood and Honor
Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor
Warcraft: Of Blood and Honor is the fourth novel set in Blizzard Entertainment's Warcraft universe. The book is written by series co-creator Chris Metzen and was released as an e-book. It was later included in the trade paperback compilation The Warcraft Archive...
.
With 2002's Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos is a real time strategy computer game released by Blizzard Entertainment on July 3, 2002 . It is the second sequel to Warcraft: Orcs & Humans, and it is the third game set in the Warcraft Universe...
, Metzen was the creative director, a role he would hold in all of Blizzard's later video games, and provided the game's story concept and script. Metzen's work with 2004's massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
was not as extensive as his earlier work, but he still contributed with script writing, artwork and voice work.
Metzen announced in early 2005 that he was working on graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
series independent of Blizzard Entertainment. The series, entitled Soldier: 76, is set in a second American civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
in 2010, with increased domestic and global terror threats and the increase in power for the US federal government
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
over that of local state governments serving as a background. Metzen wrote the series' script, while Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian artist Max Velati was responsible for the illustration and painting of the book.
In Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, Metzen voices the marine units.
Personal life
Metzen describes himself as a "comic book geekGeek
The word geek is a slang term, with different meanings ranging from "a computer expert or enthusiast" to "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts", with a general pejorative meaning of "a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp[ecially] one who is perceived to...
", stating that he first started creating comics at the age of twelve, but that he had held an interest in drawing since at least six. He states that he still retains a habit of spending "an average thirty-five dollars per week" on comics books. A fan of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
, Metzen cites the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
series of novels and Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
as the primary inspirations for his fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
creations, and names fantasy and comic book artists such as Walt Simonson
Walt Simonson
Walter "Walt" Simonson is an American comic book writer and artist. After studying geology at Amherst College, he transferred to the Rhode Island School of Design, graduating in 1972. His thesis project there was The Star Slammers, which was published as a black and white promotional comic book...
and Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
as his artistic inspirations. He defines his artistic style as having been "heavily influenced by Walt Simonson's and Jim Lee's
Jim Lee
Jim Lee is a Korean-American comic book artist, writer, editor and publisher. He first broke into the industry in 1987 as an artist for Marvel Comics, illustrating titles such as Alpha Flight and Punisher War Journal, before gaining a great deal of popularity on The Uncanny X-Men...
pencilling styles for form" while preferring the "costuming, themes and general feel of Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...
and Keith Parkinson's fantasy paintings". In addition to art, Metzen's interests include pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, the nightlife
Nightlife
Nightlife is the collective term for any entertainment that is available and more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning...
, and dirt bikes. Metzen has a daughter, Sofia, who was born in 2003 and a son, Lucas, born in 2008. He and his wife, April, reside in Santa Ana, CA.