Bill Petras, a renowned art director in the gaming industry, has passed away. The news was shared on LinkedIn by a colleague. Petras leaves behind a legacy of iconic games, including StarCraft, World of WarCraft, and Overwatch.
Petras started his career in the early 90s at GameTech, where he worked on games like Ripper, Star Crusader, and BloodNet. He later joined Blizzard Entertainment, contributing to the creation of StarCraft as a 3D storyboard artist and cinematics designer.
As art director for World of WarCraft, released in 2004, Petras’ unique style helped shape the game’s identity. He also worked on Warcraft 3 and other projects, including cartoons and board games like Dungeons & Dragons.
After leaving Blizzard in 2005 to co-found Red 5 Studios, Petras returned to the company to work on Overwatch. His distinct visual style played a significant role in the game’s massive success.
