Bill Petras, the art director known for his work on Overwatch and World of Warcraft, has passed away

Bill Petras, the esteemed art director known for his contributions to Overwatch and World of Warcraft, has passed away.

The announcement came from Harley D. Huggins II, a former cinematic projects director at Blizzard, who honored Petras in a post on LinkedIn. Huggins described Petras as a legendary figure in game development, highlighting his exceptional artistic talent and nearly 20-year tenure at Blizzard Entertainment.

"He took great pride in his role, particularly as Art Director for World of Warcraft and Overwatch," remarked Huggins.

He added, "Billy and I began our journey at Blizzard in the same week, building a friendship that spanned 28 years. Our extended discussions about every topic from game development to monster movies will be greatly missed. His loss is profound for those who knew him."

Petras embarked on his career in the early 1990s, contributing to titles such as BloodNet and Star Crusader. He joined Blizzard in 1997, significantly impacting the industry with his work on StarCraft and its Brood War expansion in 1998. Petras was not only involved as an artist but also credited for the game's box and manual artwork.

His career at Blizzard included working on WarCraft III and leading the art direction for the groundbreaking MMO World of Warcraft, launched in 2004. Petras moved on from Blizzard in 2005 to co-establish Red 5 Studios, known for developing the MMO Firefall. He returned to Blizzard in 2010 to direct the art of Overwatch, which arose from the abandoned Titan project, and stayed with the company until 2021.