We have a very heartwarming story of a player immortalized in Azeroth, after having passed years ago. A secret (almost) no one outside of Blizzard knew, as three NPCs got their names from this player, as his friend finally opened up about the story.
Zathenex shared a heartwarming story as a tribute to his best friend, who suddenly lost his life due to congenital heart defects and pulmonary hypertension at the age of 19.
Zathenex waited quite some time to reveal this little secret of Azeroth. Now, they finally feel it’s the right moment to share it.
A Little Secret of Azeroth
Before his passing, Kyle had the opportunity to visit Blizzard Entertainment in 2013, sponsored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. During his visit, he toured the headquarters, met Chris Metzen, and even left his legacy in the World of Warcraft.
- Deathguard Netharian is named after his main character, an Orc Death Knight named Netharian.
- Necrolord Sipe is the Alliance counterpart – Sipe is a direct reference to Kyle’s name.
- Tormentor Sipe and his unlucky companion Spearguard Du’Mont in Zul’Drak were Kyle’s opportunity to experiment with world-building in-game. This one was a secret kept until after Kyle arrived at the Blizzard campus. He knew about the vendors beforehand, but not about the Zul’Drak.
He had hoped to pursue a career in Computer Science and Game Design.
Neverending Connection
Kyle may not have lived as long as others, but his love for World of Warcraft and its community was hard to match. Even as his health declined, he remained a fierce PvPer. He loved messing with the Alliance and supporting others in Battlegrounds – hence the PvP vendors.
Zathenex was truly blessed to have had him as a friend, and they thank the entire community and the staff at Blizzard Entertainment for helping his legacy live on.
