Jay Wilson

Jay Wilson.

Jay Wilson is the Game Director of Diablo III. As the project lead and a good communicator, Jay is the most frequently-interviewed member of the Diablo III team, and his quotes fill the content articles of this wiki.

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. [1]

"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

Jay discussed how he came to work for Blizzard in a June 2008 interview with Joystiq.com. [2]

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

From a December 2008 interview with 1up.com:[3]

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

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. [4]

According to the 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.

Professional Bio

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

• 1998 - King's Quest: Mask of Eternity - Quality Assurance
• 1998 - Blood II: The Chosen - Game Concept and Lead Designer
• 2003 - Impossible Creatures - Lead Designer and Story
• 2003 - Homeworld 2 - Additional Design Support
• 2004 - Warhammer 40k Dawn of War - Design and Story
• 2007 - Company of Heroes - Senior Designer

Media

Jay in his pirate hat, from the Jace Hall show.

Jay Wilson has given dozens of interviews since Diablo III was revealed at the Paris WWI in June 2008. See the Media Coverage page for a full listing; these are just some of the highlights.

• Blizzcon, 2009. Jay Wilson @ Wired.com. Jay talks about violence in D3, parental guidance, and much more.
• Blizzcon, 2009. Jay Wilson @ G4TV. Issues covered include end game variety, itemization, the Monk, and lots more.
• Blizzcon, 2009. Jay Wilson @ The Orange County Register.
• Blizzcon, 2009. Jay Wilson @ IGN. Long interview.
• Blizzcon, 2009. Jay Wilson @ G4TV short Monk-focused feature.

• December 24, 2008. Jay Wilson interview @ 1up.com.
• November 27, 2008. Jay Wison interviewed by Play.tm.
• October 15, 2008. Jay Wilson and Ray Gresko Video Interview
• October 13, 2008. Diii.Net Jay Wilson Video Interview
• October 11, 2008. Exclusive Jay Wilson Interview
• September 5, 2008. Jay Wilson on art controversy, console porting, multiplayer and randomisation. CrispyGamer.
• August 20, 2008. Jay Wilson talks about Battle.net and PvP. Gamespot.
• August 12, 2008. Jay Wilson on returning characters from D1 and D2, and the Diablo series continuing past D3. MTV MP Blog.
• July 31, 2008. Jay Wilson on art design and player petitions. Kotaku.