Blizzard Entertainment Inc. Creative Director Rob Pardo, a 17-year veteran at the Irvine-based video game maker and lead designer on the “World of Warcraft” and “Diablo” franchises, is leaving the company to embark on a new adventure.
The announcement this month on battle.net, the company’s networking and profile website for gamers, drew plenty of farewells from fans on social media and from industry colleagues.
“I’m really proud of the contributions I was able to make to Blizzard’s accomplishments,” Pardo said. “From building lasting games to supporting the growth of eSports, to extending the Warcraft world into a feature film, and of course to being able to celebrate our shared passions with the Blizzard community online and at BlizzCon.”
Pardo was the original designer for “World of Warcraft,” which debuted more than a decade ago and helped usher in a new genre of multiplayer role-playing fantasy games.
The franchise today has 7.8 million subscribers who pay about $40 for the game and $15 a month to play it online. It remains the No. 1 multiplayer role-playing game in the world and Blizzard’s biggest revenue source.
Pardo, prior to joining Blizzard in 1997, spent two years as a developer for “Fallout” and “Baldur’s Gate” at Interplay Entertainment Corp., an Irvine video game maker that had more than 200 workers and $100 million in annual sales at its peak before collapsing after the stock market crash.
Pardo will likely be courted by several gaming companies in the region, given his talent and industry connections.
Could Irvine startup Oculus VR Inc. be in the mix?
Another “Internet of Things” Player
Irvine-based RFaxis Inc. is the latest OC company trying to capitalize on the explosive “Internet of Things” market.
The company has linked up with Netherlands-based GreenPeak Technologies, which makes low-power communication chips geared for smart-home devices, to
pair with its radio frequency system-on-a-chip that targets home-automation appliances.
Both companies will sell their own chips in a combined marketing effort, according to Chief Executive Mike Neshat.
“The reference designs we just completed together come at a perfect time when the entire world starts embracing the Internet of Things, or wireless connection of practically everything with an on/off switch,” he told the Business Journal.
Global sales of components and equipment that power the Internet of Things market will explode to $7.1 trillion by 2020, up 273% from last year, according to Massachusetts-based market researcher International Data Corp.
Morgan Stanley estimates that by that time, some 75 billion products, such as washing machines, lighting systems, and body health sensors, will be connected to the Internet.
The market opportunities in the developing sector led Atmel Corp. to acquire Lake Forest chipmaker Newport Media Inc. for at least $140 million. The deal, announced this month and expected to close by October, could top $170 million if certain revenue benchmarks are met over the next two years. Newport Media, which makes chipsets that allow devices to talk to each other, posted sales of about $43 million last year.
RFaxis is the 17th largest chipmaker in the county, with 38 local employees and 47 companywide, according to a Business Journal list published in November.
Microsemi Gets Defense Job
Aliso Viejo chipmaker Microsemi Corp. landed a $12 million contract from an unnamed Defense Department supplier to manufacture key receiver subsystems for smart weapons, equipment and ammunition.
Its defense and security business generated about 27% of its $287 million in revenue in the March quarter. It was the second largest revenue generator behind its communications business line, with 35%.
