Difference between revisions of "Jay Wilson"

Latest revision as of 19:08, 30 June 2013

Jay Wilson was the Game Director of Diablo III until January 2013 when he resigned and moved on to another undisclosed project within Blizzard Entertainment.^[1] Jay was the most frequently-interviewed member of the Diablo III team, and his quotes fill the content articles of this wiki.

Jay Wilson.

Prior to joining Blizzard entertainment in 2007, Jay worked at Relic Entertainment where he'd served as the lead designer on Dawn of War, an RTS game not completely unlike StarCraft. After joining Blizzard Jay contributed to MMO World of WarCraft, where he has been immortalised as "Ja'y Nosliw" the Skybreaker General.

Jay is a passionate game developer, and though he has not created or stamped his unique vision on any titles, he is involved in all aspects of game creation. ^[2]

"I can't think of anything that makes me happier than watching people play a game I made and have fun. People bring a lot of things to the world and some are good and some are bad, but I can't think of anything you could bring to the world that's better than fun. And that's why I like to make games."

Joining the Diablo 3 Team[edit | edit source]

Jay discussed how he came to work for Blizzard in a June 2008 interview. ^[3]

How did you wind up working on the Diablo project?

Jay Wilson: Well, I was working at Relic Entertainment. I started on RTSs originally and I interviewed at Blizzard ... I was actually very happy at Relic, but I had friends who had moved to Blizzard and they got me an interview. I was like, "Cool, Rob Pardo! I get to be interviewed by him and he's an idol of mine!" For me, it was just a cool experience to be able to talk to Rob for an hour. And we continued to talk and I went to the first BlizzCon [October 2005] and they just talked me into it. Essentially, I've always been a huge fan of Blizzard and it just felt like a natural fit.

Diablo II Play Experience[edit | edit source]

From a December 2008 interview ^[4]

1UP: What are your "main" classes in Diablo II?

Jay Wilson: My most developed was a Barbarian. Well, no -- actually, it's my Necromancer. While the Barbarian was what I played when the game came out, my Necromancer is all I really play now. He's in the 90s and has pretty much gotten everything he can get, so all I do is run around and kill things to see if something superawesome drops. But my Barbarian was my first class, and my Necromancer is my main. While I did play each class to take it to Hell difficulty, those two were my loves. I had a pretty cool Sorceress, but I don't think I got her as high.

Personal Details[edit | edit source]

Jay has a wife and young daughter, who he allows to play Diablo 3, even though he does not let her play other M-rated games. ^[5]

According to the Diablo: IncGamer's interview with Jay, his favorite color is green, his favorite meal is his mother's lasagna and his favorite animal is his cat.^[6]

Jay's Eyes[edit | edit source]

Jay Wilson's increasing weary and serious expressions, especially as seen in photos from the Diablo3.cc Blizzard Irvine visit ^[7] and interview ^[8] in May 2011, spawned various affectionately humorous DiabLOL captioned images, and eventually resulted in the creation of a tightly-cropped image of just his tired eyes, as a sort of counterpart to the long-running Bobby's eyes meme.

Controversy[edit | edit source]

Wilson ran into trouble when commenting ^[9] on an interview between IncGamers and Diablo creator and Blizzard founder David Brevik ^[10] where Brevik stated that Diablo 3 wasn't the game he would have designed. Taking offence Wilson commented on Facebook saying "fuck that loser" which caused an outcry amongst fans and dismay from other developers. ^[11]. Wilson quickly issued an apology on the comment ^[12] but by that point the comment had gone viral and was to follow Wilson around for the remainder of his time on the D3 Team, turning up in comment sections of many interviews with or articles about him.

Professional Bio[edit | edit source]

A list of all Jay Wilson's game credits, prior to joining Blizzard Entertainment.

2006 - Present - Blizzard Entertainment
2006 - Company of Heroes - Senior Designer
2004 - Warhammer 40k Dawn of War - Design and Story
2003 - Homeworld 2 - Additional Design Support
2003 - Impossible Creatures - Lead Designer and Story
1998 - King's Quest: Mask of Eternity - Quality Assurance
1998 - Blood II: The Chosen - Game Concept and Lead Designer

Jay in the News[edit | edit source]

See all news items relating to Jay Wilson from Diablo.IncGamers.com.

Jay Wilson's Blog updates on the official Diablo 3 Site.

Media of Jay Wilson[edit | edit source]

Jay in his pirate hat, from the Jace Hall show.
Jay in his pirate hat, from the Jace Hall show.
Jay so serious. By Caniroth.
Serious Jay has doubts. By Flux.
Release date Jay is not amused. By Risingred.
Jay sees your soul. By Caniroth.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ Jay Wilson resigns as Game Director - Jay Wilson, 17th January 2013
↑ Blizzcon Press Conference - Jay Wilson, 16th October 2008]
↑ Interview, Joystiq - Jay Wilson, 29th June 2008
↑ Interview, 1up - 23rd December 2008
↑ Interview, Wired - Jay Wilson, 25th August 2009
↑ Interview, IncGamers - Jay Wilson, 13th October 2008
↑ Interview, Diablo3.cc - Jay Wilson, 30th April 2011
↑ Interview Transcript, Diablo3.cc Jay Wilson, 4th May 2011
↑ Jay on Facebook - Jay Wilson, 20th August 2012
↑ Interview, IncGamers - David Brevik, 19th August 2012]
↑ Developer comments on Facebook comments - Various 22nd August 2012
↑ Jay Apologises - Jay Wilson, 23rd August 2012

[1] Jay Wilson resigns as Game Director - Jay Wilson, 17th January 2013

[2] Blizzcon Press Conference - Jay Wilson, 16th October 2008]

[3] Interview, Joystiq - Jay Wilson, 29th June 2008

[4] Interview, 1up - 23rd December 2008

[5] Interview, Wired - Jay Wilson, 25th August 2009

[6] Interview, IncGamers - Jay Wilson, 13th October 2008

[7] Interview, Diablo3.cc - Jay Wilson, 30th April 2011

[8] Interview Transcript, Diablo3.cc Jay Wilson, 4th May 2011

[9] Jay on Facebook - Jay Wilson, 20th August 2012

[10] Interview, IncGamers - David Brevik, 19th August 2012]

[11] Developer comments on Facebook comments - Various 22nd August 2012

[12] Jay Apologises - Jay Wilson, 23rd August 2012

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[Image:Jay_Wilson.jpg|thumb|150px|Jay Wilson.]]
-'''Jay Wilson''' is the Lead Designer of [[Diablo III]]. He has worked for a company called Relic Entertainment before, and was the lead designer on Dawn of War, an RTS game not completely unlike {{wl|[http://www.starcraftwire.net/wiki/StarCraft StarCraft]}}. Jay has also worked on the huge MMO {{wl|[http://www.worldofwar.net/ World of WarCraft]}}, where he has been immortalised as {{wl|[http://wowdigger.com/creature/view/22433 "Ja'y Nosliw"]}} the Skybreaker General.
-Jay on why he likes to make games: [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/blizzcon-press-conference-with-jay-wilson/]
+Jay Wilson was the '''Game Director''' of [[Diablo III]] until January 2013 when he resigned and moved on to another undisclosed project within Blizzard Entertainment.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-steps-down-from-diablo-3 Jay Wilson resigns as Game Director] - Jay Wilson, 17th January 2013</ref>  Jay was the most frequently-interviewed member of the Diablo III team, and his quotes fill the content articles of this wiki.
+[[File:Jay-wilson-2009.jpg|thumb|200px|Jay Wilson.]]Prior to joining Blizzard entertainment in 2007, Jay worked at [[Relic Entertainment]] where he'd served as the lead designer on [[Dawn of War]], an [[RTS]] game not completely unlike {{wl|[http://www.starcraftwire.net/wiki/StarCraft StarCraft]}}. After joining Blizzard Jay contributed to [[MMO]] {{wl|[http://www.worldofwar.net/ World of WarCraft]}}, where he has been immortalised as "Ja'y Nosliw" the Skybreaker General.
+Jay is a passionate game developer, and though he has not created or stamped his unique vision on any titles, he is involved in all aspects of game creation. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-press-conference-with-jay-wilson/ Blizzcon Press Conference] - Jay Wilson, 16th October 2008]</ref>
 ::"I can't think of anything that makes me happier than watching people play a game I made and have fun. People bring a lot of things to the world and some are good and some are bad, but I can't think of anything you could bring to the world that's better than fun. And that's why I like to make games."
@@ Line 9: / Line 11: @@
 ==Joining the Diablo 3 Team==
-Jay discussed how he came to work for Blizzard in a June 2008 interview with Joystiq.com. [http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/29/joystiq-chats-with-jay-wilson-on-diablo-3/]
+Jay discussed how he came to work for Blizzard in a June 2008 interview. <ref>[http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/29/joystiq-chats-with-jay-wilson-on-diablo-3/ Interview, Joystiq] - Jay Wilson, 29th June 2008</ref>
 ::''How did you wind up working on the Diablo project?''
@@ Line 18: / Line 20: @@
 ==Diablo II Play Experience==
-From a December 2008 [http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=3&cId=3172030&p=1 interview with 1up.com]:
+From a December 2008 interview <ref>[http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?pager.offset=3&cId=3172030&p=1 Interview, 1up] - 23rd December 2008</ref>
 ::'''1UP: What are your "main" [[class]]es in [[Diablo II]]?'''
 ::'''Jay Wilson:''' My most developed was a [[Barbarian]]. Well, no -- actually, it's my [[Necromancer]]. While the Barbarian was what I played when the game came out, my Necromancer is all I really play now. He's in the 90s and has pretty much gotten everything he can get, so all I do is run around and kill things to see if something superawesome drops. But my Barbarian was my first class, and my Necromancer is my main. While I did play each class to take it to Hell difficulty, those two were my loves. I had a pretty cool [[Sorceress]], but I don't think I got her as high.
 ==Personal Details==
-Jay has a wife and young daughter, who he allows to play Diablo 3, even though he does not let her play other M-rated games. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/jay-wilson-on-d3s-violence/]
+Jay has a wife and young daughter, who he allows to play Diablo 3, even though he does not let her play other M-rated games. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-on-d3s-violence/ Interview, Wired] - Jay Wilson, 25th August 2009</ref>
+According to the Diablo: IncGamer's interview with Jay, his favorite color is green, his favorite meal is his mother's lasagna and his favorite animal is his cat.<ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diiinet-jay-wilson-video-interview/ Interview, IncGamers] - Jay Wilson, 13th October 2008</ref>
+==Jay's Eyes==
+[[File:Jays-eyes-s.jpg|frame]]
+Jay Wilson's increasing weary and serious expressions, especially as seen in photos from the Diablo3.cc Blizzard Irvine visit <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=797856 Interview, Diablo3.cc] - Jay Wilson, 30th April 2011</ref> and interview <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-wilson-diablo3.cc-interview-full-transcript/ Interview Transcript, Diablo3.cc] Jay Wilson, 4th May 2011</ref> in May 2011, spawned various affectionately humorous DiabLOL captioned images, and eventually resulted in the creation of a tightly-cropped image of just his tired eyes, as a sort of counterpart to the long-running [[Bobby's eyes]] meme.
+==Controversy==
+Wilson ran into trouble when commenting <ref> [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/diablo-3-developers-react-angrily-to-dave-brevik-interview Jay on Facebook] - Jay Wilson, 20th August 2012</ref> on an interview between IncGamers and Diablo creator and Blizzard founder [[David Brevik]] <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/interview-diablo-creator-david-brevik-discusses-his-feelings-on-diablo-3 Interview, IncGamers] - David Brevik, 19th August 2012]</ref> where Brevik stated that Diablo 3 wasn't the game he would have designed. Taking offence Wilson commented on Facebook saying "fuck that loser" which caused an outcry amongst fans and dismay from other developers. <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/max-schaefers-bold-statement-on-the-dave-brevik-vs-d3-controversy Developer comments on Facebook comments] - Various 22nd August 2012</ref>.  Wilson quickly issued an apology on the comment <ref>[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/jay-apologizes Jay Apologises] - Jay Wilson, 23rd August 2012</ref> but by that point the comment had gone viral and was to follow Wilson around for the remainder of his time on the [[D3 Team]], turning up in comment sections of many interviews with or articles about him.
+==Professional Bio==
+A list of all Jay Wilson's game credits, prior to joining Blizzard Entertainment.
+* 2006 - Present - Blizzard Entertainment
+* 2006 - ''Company of Heroes'' - Senior Designer
+* 2004 - ''Warhammer 40k Dawn of War'' - Design and Story
+* 2003 - ''Homeworld 2'' - Additional Design Support
+* 2003 - ''Impossible Creatures'' - Lead Designer and Story
+* 1998 - ''King's Quest: Mask of Eternity'' - Quality Assurance
+* 1998 - ''Blood II: The Chosen'' - Game Concept and Lead Designer
+==Jay in the News==
+*[http://diablo.incgamers.com/blizzard-people/jay-wilson See all news items relating to Jay Wilson] from Diablo.IncGamers.com.
+*[http://us.battle.net/d3/en/search?a=Jay%20Wilson&f=article Jay Wilson's Blog] updates on the official Diablo 3 Site.
-According to the {{wl|[http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diiinet-jay-wilson-video-interview/ Diii.net interview with Jay]}}, his favorite color is green, his favorite meal is his mother's lasagna and his favorite animal is his cat.
+==Media of Jay Wilson==
-==Media==
+<gallery>
+File:Jay-wilson-pirate.jpg|Jay in his pirate hat, from the Jace Hall show.
+File:Jay-wilson-pirate2.jpg|Jay in his pirate hat, from the Jace Hall show.
+File:Jay-whysoserious-caniroth.jpg|Jay so serious. By Caniroth.
+File:Jay-wilson-serious-jay.jpg|Serious Jay has doubts. By Flux.
+File:Jay-release-date-risingred.jpg|Release date Jay is not amused. By Risingred.
+File:Jay-your-soul-caniroth.jpg|Jay sees your soul. By Caniroth.
+</gallery>
-Jay Wilson has given dozens of interviews since Diablo III was revealed at the Paris WWI in June 2008. See [[Media_Coverage|the Media Coverage page]] for a full listing; these are just some of the highlights.
+==References==
+<font size="-3">
+<references/>
-* Blizzcon, 2009. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/jay-wilson-on-d3s-violence/ Jay Wilson @ Wired.com]. Jay talks about violence in D3, parental guidance, and much more.
-* Blizzcon, 2009. [http://g4tv.com/games/pc/28197/diablo-iii/articles/68225/BlizzCon-2009-Diablo-III-Game-Director-Interview/ Jay Wilson @ G4TV]. Issues covered include end game variety, itemization, the Monk, and lots more.
-* Blizzcon, 2009. [http://gaming.freedomblogging.com/2009/08/26/3633/3633/ Jay Wilson @ The Orange County Register].
-* Blizzcon, 2009. [http://pc.ign.com/articles/101/1017305p1.html Jay Wilson @ IGN]. Long interview.
-* Blizzcon, 2009. [http://g4tv.com/videos/41158/BlizzCon-2009-Diablo-III-Preview/ Jay Wilson @ G4TV] short Monk-focused feature.
-* December 24, 2008. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/1up-jay-wilson-interview/ Jay Wilson interview @ 1up.com].
-* November 27, 2008. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/jay-wilson-interview-by-playtm/ Jay Wison interviewed by Play.tm].
-* October 15, 2008. [http://diablo3.battlenet.pl/portal/d3/1/99/Wywiad_Battlenetpl_z_Jayem_Wilsonem_i_Rayem_Gresko.html Jay Wilson and Ray Gresko Video Interview]
-* October 13, 2008. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/diiinet-jay-wilson-video-interview/ Diii.Net Jay Wilson Video Interview]
-* October 11, 2008. [http://www.diii.net/blog/comments/exclusive-jay-wilson-interview/ Exclusive Jay Wilson Interview]
-* September 5, 2008. [http://www.crispygamer.com/interviews/2008-09-05/detailing-diablo-iii-the-jay-wilson-interview.aspx Jay Wilson] on [[art controversy]], console porting, multiplayer and randomisation. CrispyGamer.
-* August 20, 2008. [http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/diablo-iii/901260p1.html Jay Wilson] talks about [[Battle.net]] and [[PvP]]. Gamespot.
-* August 12, 2008. [http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/08/12/diablo-iii-storyline/ Jay Wilson] on returning characters from D1 and D2, and the Diablo series continuing past D3. MTV MP Blog.
-* July 31, 2008. [http://kotaku.com/5031732/art-apocalypse-blizzards-wilson-talks-diablo-iii-design-decisions Jay Wilson] on art design and player petitions. Kotaku.
+{{Game navbox|d3}}
 [[Category:Blizzard]]
 [[category:D3 Team]]