The Sons of the Storm is a kind of artists' collective connected with Blizzard -- they're responsible for the majority of the concept and game art coming out of Blizzard, from the
Warcraft, Starcraft, and
Diablo series. They count
Samwise Didier and
Chris Metzen in their ranks, along with
many of Blizzard's most popular artists. And apparently their ranks are growing -- on their latest website update, they have posted
a new group picture, along with a mysterious "eighth son" that they say they will introduce sometime later, possibly months after BlizzCon. From left on the picture above, you can see Samwise Dider, Chris Metzen, René Koiter, Travis Thammer, Glenn Rane, Peter Lee, Mark Gibbons, and the Eighth Son, who
a commenter over at Blizzplanet speculates may be
Wei Wang.
Speaking of BlizzCon, the Sons site also says that all of the seven current sons will be signing at the convention, so be sure to bring your TCG cards,
Warcraft novels, art books and anything else these guys may have worked on. We're sure there'll be a line, but if you're willing to brave the wait, you might get to meet some of the most creative minds behind Blizzard's beloved universes.
Tags: artists, blizzard, chris-metzen, collective, diablo, eighth-son, employees, glenn-rane, mark-gibbons, orc-statue, peter-lee, picture, rene-koiter, samwise, samwise-didier, sons, sons-of-the-storm, starcraft, travis-thammer, warcraft, website
Filed under: Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Galleries, BlizzCon, Fan art, WoW TCG
Aug 3rd 2009 at 7:00PM 
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Sleutel Aug 3rd 2009 7:03PM
A bunch of guys, most of them white? No wonder half my plate armor looks like bikinis... :P
cc Aug 3rd 2009 7:09PM
Nice racist comment there.
Agerath Aug 3rd 2009 7:09PM
Because everybody knows black and asian guys are enamored of trousers and/or devoid of libido.
Sleutel Aug 3rd 2009 7:15PM
Sorry, the comment was unclear. "A bunch of guys" is why my armor looks like bikinis. "Most of them white" is just another comment on a further lack of diversity.
Mr. Tastix Aug 3rd 2009 10:35PM
And yet... I don't see you flaunting any great artworks? Oh the irony.
Sleutel Aug 3rd 2009 10:38PM
@Mr. Tastix: And yet, you are another person who learned their definition of "irony" from Alanis Morisette.
Please feel free to point out the large number of women or other minorities in the group of people responsible for the look and feel of WoW. While you're at it, you can show me the wide range of skin colors and facial features available to people who play Humans. Oh wait...
TobiasX Aug 4th 2009 1:52AM
So your comment started out as racist, then you corrected yourself so it's sexist as well? I honestly thought even the internet had got over this kind of closed-minded crap by now. Seriously, please grow up. This is a fantasy-based RPG. That means that both men and women will be objectified regardless of who designs the armor (gender and race don't factor into this).
Sleutel Aug 4th 2009 8:36AM
@TobiasX: Aw, if it helps you sleep at night, you go ahead and sing "Kumbaya" with yourself. The rest of us grownups are going to continue living in the real world. A world where, yes, the male characters in WoW are overly muscled, but there's at least a bigger range of physical forms, whereas all the women have tiny waists and giant tits, and half our armor, including the PLATE worn by TANKS, only covers half our bodies. A world where the designers can give us bikini tops and make our tabards sway alluringly when we dance, but they can't fix it so that our breasts don't distort half the guild tabard designs. A world where 99% of the human-ish characters have features that are clearly European, and 99% of the human-ish skin tones are, at darkest, "tan European." A world where "ethic" means "caricature of non-European culture" (Tauren and Trolls, I'm looking at you).
I'm not saying it's Nazi Germany in cartoon computer form, but at least I'm not such a drooling fanboy that I'm willfully blind to the ways things could be better, or denying that the makeup of the creative team has any influence over the diversity of the end product.
TobiasX Aug 5th 2009 4:13AM
@Sleutel
I'm not a drooling fanboy either but I believe bias against someone, or in favor on someone, based on something as unimportant as their gender or ethnicity is pathetic. It's like saying you hate everybody with green eyes.
As for "distorted tabards": my main is a male blood elf; this means my character's breathing animation distorts my tabard every time I look at it. It looks terrible.
As for "Eastern-European" I hadn't actually cared until you pointed it out and you have a point. The Tauren and Troll races have clearly been based on certain ethnic groups but why is that important? They had to be based on something in some small way.
The entire fantasy genre has 2 massive generalizations which everyone should take for granted when buying one:
Men: Big. Muscular.
Women: Slim. Seductive.
This isn't a bias against women who want to be strong, (Horde-side Grizzly Hills camp is run by women) but a statement about the entire genre. There's nothing saying this couldn't change but as a starting point this is taken as "how it should be" no matter who's designing what armor looks like. Even if it was a group of women designing the armor this would be expected. If the Sons of Storm hadn't taken this approach as their basis (for whatever reason) then it would've been an important point Against world of warcraft.
TL:DR version.
* Bias in favor, or against, somebody based on their gender or ethnicity is pathetic.
* My main's tabard is perminently distorted as well. It's irritating but I cope with no problem.
* The Tauren and Troll races had to be based on something, so why not a culture already present in the real world?
* The Fantasy RPG genre is based on the generalizations that men are big and strong while women are slim and seductive. Straying too far from this would've damaged WoW significantly. There are still strong women in the game (no, not like Jaina).
Sleutel Aug 5th 2009 8:43AM
@TobiasX:
1.) I agree that a bias against or in favor of someone based on their gender or ethnicity is pathetic. Which is why I find it offputting that Blizzard's creative team is so overwhelmingly white male--and I see that lack of diversity reflected in the end product.
2.) Tauren and Trolls aren't based on cultures. They're based on CARICATURES of cultures. Minstrel shows weren't based on Black culture in the U.S.--they were based on a CARICATURE of it.
3.) Just because a stereotype has always existed in a genre doesn't make it okay to continue to propagate it.
4.) It's your personal opinion that WoW would have suffered if it had broken away from classic fantasy stereotypes, and I think your opinion is uninformed. Look at an author like Mercedes Lackey--she has muscular mercenary women and slim, effeminate, gay (literally homosexual) mage men... and she's insanely popular and successful.
Sleutel Aug 5th 2009 8:49AM
@TobiasX: Oh, and "There are still strong women in the game (no, not like Jaina)"? There are VERY, VERY FEW important female characters in the game. Most of the bosses and leaders are male. Out of TEN races, TWO have female leaders, and they're both kind of crazy. (Sylvanas has at a minimum been looking the other way while her people develop the New Plague, and Tyrande slaughtered her own people to break Illidan out of prison).
Lorsty Aug 3rd 2009 7:22PM
For a moment I thought the one in the far left was a woman. Q_Q
I'm a horrible person... and I need glasses.
ToyChristopher Aug 3rd 2009 7:31PM
Judging from that picture I now know why blizzard has such ugly art.
AutumnBringer Aug 3rd 2009 8:03PM
The graphics in WoW is at this point technically speaking inferior to a lot of games out there, but in my opinion, the art style sets it apart and makes it seem more alive.
Of course art is subjective, so it's not an issue if you say you feel the art is ugly, but I really think that the art style has really contributed to WoW's success. I know that when looking at the style of the art and animation in a lot of other games, they seem to pale in comparison.
ToyChristopher Aug 3rd 2009 9:02PM
WoW's art style is distinctive and I do think that helps it be a good game. I just don't like it. The hypersexuality, superdeformed weapons and armor, and color palette of most things in the game are really off putting to me. Speaking about the graphics in the game I also think the animation, even considering when the game initially launched can be a little stale. I do think it does help set the game apart but I don't think it makes the game feel more alive.
Mr. Tastix Aug 3rd 2009 10:37PM
Can't really blame the concept artists for the animation though, unless some of the artists are also the animators, but I wouldn't bet on it. Though I do agree that some of the animations are just horrible...
cowy Aug 3rd 2009 7:48PM
Meh another boys-only club. However... that dosn't explain why most mobs/non-player races are male by default. Hmm...
I'm getting mixed signals here...
OH wait! Thats right. Females only exist if they are player races, or "Hawt".
Ok... it makes sense again.
Quill2006 Aug 3rd 2009 11:31PM
I'm sure people are going to flame or downgrade you for that comment, but that was exactly what I thought too. My boyfriend recently started playing the game and one of his comments about the loading screen was "Wow, that elf (female) is worse than Barbie!" in reference to the elf's proportions. As others have said, no wonder most of my character's armor is ridiculously bikini-like and the NPC population is overwhelmingly male, if they can't manage to get even one female concept artist into their club.
Paulo Aug 3rd 2009 7:50PM
Stop pretending you fellas aren't as geeky as anyone of those dudes.
It's not like most of you aren't.
If you weren't you wouldnt be hanging and commenting on an MMORPG blog.
Sammy is a character, that's for sure.
From left to right.
Samwise, Metzen, René, Thamer, Rane, Lee and Gibbons. and a shadowpriest.
Utakata Aug 3rd 2009 7:56PM
That would really screw their name up if the 8th one is female.