Blizzard parts ways with best-selling author, longtime franchise developer Christie Golden

"I'm grateful for these experiences," the accomplished novelist said on social media.

Jaina Proudmoore in World of Warcraft Battle For Azeroth
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Christie Golden, a best-selling novelist who had worked with Blizzard Entertainment on dozens of projects dating back to the early-2000s, was laid off by the company, she announced earlier today. 

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Golden had been a core member of Blizzard’s story development team, where she worked on projects for multiple titles, including World of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Overwatch. However, it was within the WoW franchise that Golden found the most success among fans. Her credits at Blizzard included some of the earliest Warcraft novels, including Lord of the Clans and Rise of the Horde. Her character-focused novels in the late-2000s and early-2010s, such as Arthas: Rise of the Lich King and Jaina Proudmoore: Tides of War were some of the most well-received books in the WoW chronology. 

Golden announced she was laid off from Blizzard in a post on social media today, revealing that she has not been affiliated with the company since January. 

“My relationship with Blizzard is almost 25 years old,” Golden said on X. “In that time, I learned to play video games, traveled the world, created and fleshed out characters that millions love, became a [New York Times] bestselling author, kept food on the table, gained new skills, crafts, and an entire second career, won awards, and met some of the finest humans on the planet.” 

Golden revealed the news of Blizzard cutting ties with her came one day prior to the loss of her nephew, and with such life-altering events occurring on back-to-back days, the author took time to step away before making the information public. 

Golden mentioned that while she’d enjoy working with Blizzard in the future, she’s “never been in a better position” to move forward in her career and pursue other ventures. 

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Michael Kelly
Staff Writer covering World of Warcraft and League of Legends, among others. Mike's been with Dot since 2020, and has been covering esports since 2018.