Ben Brode


Info

"There is no way to contain the Brode." - Yong Woo Yong Woo Type: Minion Rarity: Legendary Cost: 5 Attack: 3 Health: 2 Your other minions have +3 Attack and Charge.See this card on Hearthpwn data page] Yong Woo is a Blizzard employee, member of Team hearthstone

Ben Brode is a Blizzard employee, member of Team 5 Team 5 (also known as Blizzard Team 5) are the Blizzard Entertainment development team responsible for Hearthstone. A "small and nimble" team of 15 members for much of the game s original development, the team has hearthstone and Game Director for Hearthstone The Hearthstone icon Hearthstone (formerly known as Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft 1] 2]) is a free-to-play digital collectible card game from Blizzard Entertainment. It was first announced in a presentation by Rob Pardo at the hearthstone . He is featured in the credits card Credits cards are non-playable cards that depict prominent members of the Hearthstone development team. These cards are not found in play, but are displayed in random order during the game s credits, accessed through the Options hearthstone of the same name.

Official

As one of the game designers for Blizzard Entertainment`s Hearthstone™: Heroes of Warcraft™, Ben Brode is involved in all aspects of the design, including core gameplay design, card powers, balance, artwork selection, programming, and writing.

Brode joined Blizzard Entertainment in 2003, and during his tenure has served in numerous roles throughout the company. His first role was as a tester on Warcraft III, followed by a position in quality assurance on World of Warcraft₮. Before joining the Hearthstone team, Brode was part of Blizzard’s creative development department, in charge of licensed products.

In his free time, Brode stays true to the rap game as an MC and beatboxer.

Videos

Notes

Ben Brode

Brode started his Blizzard career as a "night crew game tester". In 2002 Brode was working part-time delivering pizzas, and a friend of Brode`s who was working at Blizzard in night shift Q&A convinced the team to order from Brode`s pizza firm, allowing Brode to make connections within the team and eventually get a job as a night shift game tester for Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne and later Q&A on World of Warcraft World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Blizzard Entertainment. The game was first released Nov. 2004, and has since seen six expansions: The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of hearthstone . Brode "loved the job", got involved in testing the level editor and eventually began making his own maps for Warcraft III, which led him to learn about game design.

Brode later worked on the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game The WoW TCG logo The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game (WoW TCG), commonly referred to as "the TCG", is a physical collectible card game based on World of Warcraft, first released in 2006. On hearthstone from its "very beginning" until 2008, when Team 5 Team 5 (also known as Blizzard Team 5) are the Blizzard Entertainment development team responsible for Hearthstone. A "small and nimble" team of 15 members for much of the game s original development, the team has hearthstone was created and work on Hearthstone began. Brode describes this as "how I ended up on the Hearthstone team", stating, "I caught the attention of then executive producer Rob Pardo Rob Pardo Type: Minion Rarity: Legendary Cost: 9 Attack: 9 Health: 9 You can t start a game without this minion in your deck.See this card on Hearthpwn data page] Rob Pardo was Chief Creative Officer hearthstone and when they spun up Team 5, I got in!"

Brode appears to have been one of the first members of Team 5, describing the team as having had "maybe" 2 members when he joined.

Early in the game`s development, prior to the beginning of prototyping, deadlines for another Blizzard project caused all of Team 5 except Eric Dodds Eric Dodds Type: Minion Rarity: Legendary Cost: 6 Attack: 5 Health: 5 Abilities: Summon Battlecry: Summon a 2/2 Pirate and destroy all Ninjas.See this card on Hearthpwn data page] Eric Dodds is a Blizzard employee, hearthstone and Brode to be reassigned to that game. This isolation allowed the two designers to work in an even more focused way, with only the two of them to settle prototyping decisions, and were able to rapidly progress through myriad design iterations. The two went on to establish the core game still found in Hearthstone today.

For most of the game`s initial development, Brode and Dodds were the sole designers regarding card changes and balance. Brode was also responsible for choosing the card art The art used on Hearthstone s cards is one of the most striking and memorable aspects of the game s artistic design. These small yet detailed images are often taken from far larger pieces of art, with hearthstone for all cards.

Describing himself as "mostly the guy who heads up content design", up until Whispers of the Old Gods  "Now I ve got a tale to tell you... of the ones from long ago. There s an evil that s been dreaming, but now it s softly screaming! From the darkness their power will grow. Their voices are hearthstone Brode was responsible for initial card design, and would sometimes also program prototypes of new mechanics, as well as working "a lot" with the dialogue and voice actors for the game`s soundbites and sound design.

In late 2015 Brode was promoted from Senior Game Designer to Lead Designer. In Nov. 2016 his title changed again to Game Director (a title previously held by Eric Dodds Eric Dodds Type: Minion Rarity: Legendary Cost: 6 Attack: 5 Health: 5 Abilities: Summon Battlecry: Summon a 2/2 Pirate and destroy all Ninjas.See this card on Hearthpwn data page] Eric Dodds is a Blizzard employee, hearthstone ) although Brode had already been filling the role for around a year. Brode is now less involved in initial design and card creation, with more of a focus on "helping guide teams" and "leadership and direction stuff", but is still "very involved" in the overall design process.

Aside from his work on the game itself, Brode is known for being active on @@@#@@@Twitter(twitter.com)###@### and reddit, where he is often to be found discussing the game with players. Brode is also the host of the Designer Insights Designer Insights (sometimes called Developer Insights) is an occasional series of live or prerecorded videos released by members of the Team 5 Hearthstone design team, primarily featuring Game Director Ben Brode. Designer Insights videos offer hearthstone video series, discussing current game design issues with the community. By far the most communicative member of the development team, Brode rose to prominence during the game`s beta The Hearthstone beta was the beta test phase in the development of Hearthstone, following the alpha test. The beta test began in its closed phase in the Americas region on Aug. 16th 2013, and in hearthstone , quickly becoming the public face (and voice) of the Hearthstone team.

In Mar. 2017, in response to a petition on reddit asking him to "sing a song" for the upcoming Journey to Un`Goro  "We re almost there. Quiet down, everyone.  "This is not like any of our previous expeditions. This will be far more... ambitious. We re stepping into a land of primordial wonders, infused with astonishing elemental energies. The hearthstone , Brode released "Un`Goro: The Journey", a video featuring himself rapping, on his personal @@@#@@@YouTube(youtube.com)###@### channel. Within a few hours the rap`s reddit post had become the all-time most upvoted post on /r/Hearthstone, and soon the number one post on all of reddit at that time. The rap quickly saw a number of remixes from community members, setting Brode`s voice to music ranging from hip hop and synthpop to the internet phenomenon "We Are Number One" and even tech metal, as well as overlaying Brode`s rap over the original cinematic. Brode composed, performed and recorded the rap himself without assistance from other team members, taking him about 90 minutes to write. Brode states that he had been rapping "on and off" for 18 years at the time.

Trivia

"Hope you draw some lucky hands today!"
  • Brode is well-known for his resonant voice and hearty laugh. This is referenced in his credits card`s text - "Your volume can`t be reduced below maximum".
  • When asked how much he enjoyed his job out of 10, Brode replied "straight up 10".
Brode`s fashion choices have inspired an official Hearthstone clothing line
  • The same chequered shirt seen on both his World of Warcraft avatars can also be seen on Brode`s credits card art, as well as in his 2014 official image (see right). When asked whether this was a coincidence or an intentional match, Brode humorously replied, "I am just always wearing that shirt". While Brode has since broadened his tastes to include chequered shirts of other colours, the chequered shirt has quickly become a signature of the developer. Brode states that his flannel habit began many years earlier with a sale at Costco. In 2016 the official Blizzard gear store released a "Hearthstone Flannel Jacket", reflecting the implicit connection between Hearthstone and the popular pattern.
  • Warcraft III maps worked on by Brode include "Worm War" and "Clash of the Footmen".
  • Brode is 6`4.5" tall.

Career

2003
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne - Game Tester
2004
World of Warcraft World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) created by Blizzard Entertainment. The game was first released Nov. 2004, and has since seen six expansions: The Burning Crusade (2007), Wrath of hearthstone - Quality Assurance Team Lead
2005-2008 (possibly earlier)
World of Warcraft Trading Card Game The WoW TCG logo The World of Warcraft Trading Card Game (WoW TCG), commonly referred to as "the TCG", is a physical collectible card game based on World of Warcraft, first released in 2006. On hearthstone - Approvals
2007
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - Creative Development Production
2008
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Creative Development Production
2010
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm - Strike Team
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty - Strike Team
2011
BRAWL - Programming, Voices, UI
2014
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft - Senior Game Designer
2015
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft - Lead Designer
2016
Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft - Game Director

Quotes

About Brode

Card art

The art for Brode`s credits card Credits cards are non-playable cards that depict prominent members of the Hearthstone development team. These cards are not found in play, but are displayed in random order during the game s credits, accessed through the Options hearthstone was created by Alex Horley Orlandelli Alex Horley, also known as Alex Horley Orlandelli, is one of the most prominent artists responsible for the Hearthstone card illustrations. He is well known for his dynamic illustrations in the entertainment arts including World hearthstone .

Gallery

In case you had forgotten his name
Brode in Jul. 2016
Brode in May 2014
Credits card artwork
Ben Brode receiving his commemorative 10 year shield from Blizzard
Brode in 2013
Brode in 2003, while working on the night crew testing Warcraft III