Overwatch and World of Warcraft artwork director Invoice Petras has handed away.
The information was shared by former colleagues on social media, prompting an outpouring of tributes from colleagues, pals, and gamers.
“I’m writing to share some heartbreaking information. Invoice Petras, a sport improvement legend, has unexpectedly handed away,” stated former Blizzard cinematic mission director, Harley D. Huggins II, on Linkedin.
“Billy was an amazingly gifted artist who labored at Blizzard Leisure for nearly 20 years. He was immensely happy with the work he did there, most notably because the artwork director for World of Warcraft and Overwatch.
“Billy and I began at Blizzard the identical week and have been shut pals for 28 years. I’ll miss our common, lengthy, rambling conversations about life, sport dev, video games, artwork, comedian books, toys, monster motion pictures and Conan. He might be deeply missed by me and all who knew him.”
Former Blizzard senior director of story and inventive improvement, James Waugh, described Petras as a “enormous hearted and real” one who cared deeply about these round him.
“He was the kind of person who constructed belief immediately and also you knew he actually cared. He strove for excellence creatively, however by no means overpassed the people that wanted to make the excellence and really feel seen making it,” he wrote on Linkedin. “That is deeply tragic. The business misplaced considered one of its masters, and the world has misplaced a fantastic human.”
Petras spent nearly all of his profession at Blizzard. He labored on franchises similar to StarCraft and World of Warcraft throughout his first stint on the studio, which started within the Nineties and led to 2005 when he departed to determine Pink 5 Studios Inc.
He returned to the corporate 2010 and was ultimately requested to assist steer manufacturing on Overwatch as artwork director. He served as senior artwork director on Overwatch 2 earlier than departing the studio for a second time.
