Rod Fergusson is "stepping away" from his leadership role at Blizzard.

In a brief statement on social media, Fergussion said "the teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead," adding he was "looking forward to what comes next for Diablo and for me".

Fergusson did not give a specific reason for leaving, and declined to comment further when asked by press. It's also unclear who will head the Diablo team going forward.

"After five years of driving the Diablo franchise forward with four big launches, it's time for me to step away from Blizzard/Microsoft, sword in hand, and see what's next," he wrote.

"The teams are set up for success, with an exciting slate of releases ahead. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built together and looking forward to what comes next for Diablo, and for me."

Blizzard president Johanna Faries added: "Guiding a franchise like Diablo takes rare talent, vision, and collaboration. Thank you, Rod, for bringing all of those in spades. Sanctuary's future is brighter because of the impact you've had!"

Xbox boss Phil Spencer said Fergusson "brought strength, hellfire, and vision to one of gaming's most iconic franchises".

"Playing Diablo IV with you was a blast – thanks for everything you gave to the game and the community," he added.

Fergusson joined Blizzard as the new head of Diablo back in February 2020. Before that, he worked on the Gears of War franchise for 15 years, save for a stint at Irrational to close out the development of BioShock Infinite. He left Gears developer The Coalition after the launch of mobile spin-off Gears Pop!, mainline game Gears 5, and ahead of the launch of strategy spin-off Gears Tactics.

Fergusson's departure comes just days after fans accused Blizzard of using AI-generated "slop" in its upcoming Diablo Immortal x Hearthstone crossover event.

At the start of the month, Microsoft announced around 9000 employees would be laid off.