MTG Arena game director Chris Clay made a sudden and unexpected move when he resigned from Wizards of the Coast earlier this week.
Despite working with Wizards of the Coast since 2016, Clay quietly announced his resignation on the MTG Arena forums due to personal reasons. Clay thanked the Magic: The Gathering community for all the love and support over the years and he feels comfortable leaving due to the amazing team already in place.
“While it is incredibly hard to announce this,” Clay said on the MTG Arena forums, “I wanted to let everyone know that as of today I have parted ways with Wizards of the Coast. This was a personal decision and was only made possible by knowing that I’m leaving this game in the incredibly capable hands of a team that I respect and cherish will all my heart.”
Jay Parker is set to take over for Clay as the new MTG Arena game director. Parker signed on with Wizards of the Coast in 2017 as a senior designer and has been co-working with Clay as the game director for the last two months, according to his LinkedIn account.
Prior to working with Wizards of the Coast, Parker spent five years with both WB Games and Z2Live as lead designer and lead technical designer, respectively. Parker has the qualifications to take over for Clay as the game director for MTG Arena and seems to have his blessing, as well.
“I wish you all the best,” Clay said addressing the Magic: The Gathering Arena community. “And can’t wait to see what MTG Arena’s new game director Jay Parker will bring to the game.
