Rob Pardo (born June 9, 1970) is an American video game designer. He is the former chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment,[1] resigning on July 3, 2014.[2] Previously he was the Executive Vice President of game design at Blizzard Entertainment, and prior to that the lead designer of World of Warcraft. In 2006, he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[3]
Pardo played a Wood Elf Warrior named Ariel. He was Guild master of the EverQuest guild Legacy of Steel, which accomplished many world-firsts. He met friend and former coworker Tigole (Jeffrey Kaplan) during his time in Legacy of Steel. Tigole would go on to replace him as guild leader and was eventually offered a position as designer alongside Pardo.[9]