Blizzard narrative designer Eleni Rivera has officially left the Diablo 4 team and is heading straight into the Overwatch 2 universe. In a post recently shared on X (formerly Twitter), she confirmed that Friday was her last day on Diablo 4 and that she will be joining the OW2 team on Monday as a Narrative Designer.
“Getting to tell stories in that dark, gothic world with such talented people has been a dream come true,” Eleni wrote.
“Monday, I’m joining the Overwatch 2 team… I can’t wait to show off my D.Va skills and cosplay!”
You can check out the full post and her cosplay photo here.
Diablo 4 Community Criticism of Vessel of Hatred’s Story
The timing of her departure is also quite heavily discussed within the Diablo 4 community, especially after the recent criticism of Vessel of Hatred’s quest design. On Reddit, players have been voicing frustration with the main story, saying the campaign made them feel like “ritual assistants” instead of big, strong Nephalem heroes.
Some of the more common complaints include:
- NPCs constantly asking you to do trivial things (like lighting candles or placing pots) while they just stand around.
- Characters like Donan and the seasonal Druids offloading every ritual step to the player.
- A final boss fight that felt more like a cutscene than an epic showdown, with NPC voices constantly interrupting the action.
Eleni Rivera’s Departure from Diablo Team
And although this has nothing to do with Eleni Rivera directly, her departure follows that of Rod Fergusson, who was another major figure from the Diablo team. That alone has caused new concerns about internal changes at Blizzard, especially with Season 10 and the future expansion reveal (surely) right around the corner.
Nevertheless, it is known that Eleni Rivera is a huge Overwatch fan (and longtime D.Va cosplayer), so it is safe to say this move is a passion project. Adam Fletcher (aka PezRadar) also commented under her post, wishing her well and saying that he will miss her on the team.
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