Brian Morrisroe

Brian Morrisroe.

Brian Morrisroe (sometimes referred to as "Morrisoe") was the Art Director on the Diablo 3 development team. He left the company to form Booyah with Keith Lee and Sam Christiansen in August 2008.

Bio

Blizzard Employment

Brian Morrisroe was the Art Director at Blizzard for Diablo 3, and named by Jay Wilson to be the main force behind the colourful palette of the game, that stirred some controversy. When it was announced that he had left the company in August 2008, some fans speculated that he had in fact been fired. Blizzard commented on that accusation, and said his departure was to a company outside of the games industry and unrelated to the art style. They also said that the style he had chosen would be continued.

Mtv MultiPlayer Blog, August 2008 [1]

Jay Wilson: If you want to blame anyone for the rainbows [bright colours] you'd blame our art director Brian [Morrisroe]. Because Brian is more the person who drove the art style into where it is. But it didn't really come directly from him. What he brought to the art team was concepts and ideas - the idea of contrast, the idea of using color more, the idea of going for a more stylized look.

Videogamer.com, September 2008 [2].

There's been a bit of controversy about the art style of Diablo 3, in terms of negative fan reactions online. Was there any link between this and the departure of Art Director Brian Morrisroe?

Jay Wilson: It actually had nothing to do with the project. His leaving was amiable and we actually still speak to him fairly frequently. He left to form a start-up company outside of the games industry - he had an opportunity he couldn't pass up, a once-in-a-lifetime kind of deal. I hated to see him him go because he was so good for the team and was such good art director, but he felt that this was a fairly safe point for him to depart because our art style was fairly established and our art lead is fairly strong. So while I can't say that it's helped the project to have him leave, I think it's done as minimal damage as a departure like this could. It's certainly nothing to do with the art style controversy, and our art direction will not change.

Booyah CCO

Brian Morrisroe left Blizzard to form Booyah with Keith Lee and Sam Christiansen in August 2008. Between them, the latter two are responsible for gems like Call of Duty, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Resistance and Ratchet & Clank. The company has not made much sound yet but they do have a big backer with Kleiner Perkins who have put $4.5 million into the company. Their stated goal? To "blow people away with a product that actually improves their life while simultaneously delighting them." And if that wasn't enough — "Do good, to help other people do good, to change the world."

Employers and Titles

• CCO at Booyah Inc.
• Art Director at Blizzard Entertainment
• 3D Artist at Treyarch
• 3D Artist at Crystal Dynamics

Credits

It seems that this is not a full list of credits for Brian, as he has been mentioned to have been involved in at least some of games like Call of Duty, Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Resistance and Ratchet & Clank.

• Diablo III - Art Director (2008, Blizzard)
• World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - Lead Dungeon Artist (2007, Blizzard)
• Spider-Man 2: The Movie - 3D Artist (2004, Treyarch)
• World of Warcraft - Unknown Title (Dungeon Artist?) (2004, Blizzard)
• Minority Report: Everybody Runs - Unknown Title (2002, Activition)
• Spider-Man: The Movie - 3D Artist (2002, Treyarch)
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 - 3D Artist (2001, Crystal Dynamics)
• Small Soldiers - Unknown Title (3D Artist?) (1998, Dreamworks Interactive)

External Links

• Brian Morrisroe IMDB Profile
• Brian Morrisroe LinkedIn profile
• Brian Morrisroe MobyGames profile
• Brian Morrisroe TradeVibes profile
• Gamona Interview with Brian]
• MTV Jay Wilson interview where he says Brian is the source of the art controversy.