'WoW' lead designer Pardo leaves Blizzard

Blizzard chief creative officer and World of Warcraft lead designer Rob Pardo revealed he is leaving the video game creator after 17 years.

In a statement released Thursday on Blizzard's WoW forums, Pardo did not hint at his next move other than to "pursue the next chapter of my life and career."

"I'm looking forward to new challenges in my career, but I will always cherish the time I spent with you all and the amazing and collaborative teams at Blizzard," said Pardo. "It was both satisfying and humbling, and it made me a better developer and a better person."

Along with his work on WoW, Pardo also worked on real-time strategy game StarCraft and action title Diablo.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.