# Rob Pardo

> Rob Pardo is a Series A investor backing Gaming, Mobile and Computer. See 2 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Total investments: 2
- Last investment: Dec 2021
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026

Rob Pardo is a Series A investor focused on Gaming and Mobile. Rob Pardo (born June 9, 1970) is the former Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard Entertainment, resigning on July 3, 2014. Previously he was the Executive Vice President of game design at Blizzard Entertainment, and prior to that the lead designer of World of Warcraft. In 2006, he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential peoplein the world. Pardo appears in animated form in the South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft", which deals with World of Warcraft. Pardo founded Bonfire Studios in 2016. He raised $25 million from Andreessen Horowitz and Riot Games.Rob Pardo has been credited on the following games:Lead Designer World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade World of Warcraft Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos StarCraft: Brood WarDesigner World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor Diablo II Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition StarCraft Diablo IIIProducer Mortal Kombat Trilogy Tempest X3 WhiplashExecutive producer Diablo III

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Gaming | 1 | 50% |
| Mobile | 1 | 50% |
| Computer | 1 | 50% |
| Video Games | 1 | 50% |
| Digital Entertainment | 1 | 50% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 1 | 50% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 50% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bright Star Studios | Bright Star Studios is a passionate team of Award Winning Venture Founders, former Pro-Players, World Champions, Game Industry Veterans and MMO fanatics carving a new path forward for MMORPGs across PC, Browser, and Mobile through a modern rewrite of the games industry business models in favor of the user, exciting competitive gameplay, and instantplayability. Ember Sword is our love-letter to MMORPG gamers across the world.Bright Star Studios was founded in 2018 by Mark Laursen, Joris Huijbregts, Sage Durain, Sune Thorsen and Founding Investor Lars Henriksen & Co-Founder Loren Roosendaal. The studio is working on their flagship title, Ember Sword, a modern rewrite of the games industry business model in favor of the user, and a love letter to MMORPG (Massively Online Role Playing Game) gamers.Ember Sword has the fast-paced combat of aRPGs, combined with the isometric view and skill-based abilities of MOBAs, set in a persistent MMORPG fantasy universe.Nominated as "Best Company to Internship at in 2021" in DenmarkEmber Sword: Free2Play Platform-Agnostic MMORPG ✔ Player-driven economy ✔ Classless combat system ✔ Scarce, tradable cosmetics (NFTs) ✔ No Pay2win, LootBoxes or Predatory Monetization ✔ Become a landowner, mold the gameworld ✔ Artist Workshop for community NFTs, create your own dances, hats and skins ✔ AI endures an epic player experience ✔ Proprietary custom built engine ✔Would you like to know more?www.EmberSword.comwww.BrightStar.Studio |  |  | Dec 06, 2021 |  |
| Bright Star Studios | Bright Star Studios is a passionate team of Award Winning Venture Founders, former Pro-Players, World Champions, Game Industry Veterans and MMO fanatics carving a new path forward for MMORPGs across PC, Browser, and Mobile through a modern rewrite of the games industry business models in favor of the user, exciting competitive gameplay, and instantplayability. Ember Sword is our love-letter to MMORPG gamers across the world.Bright Star Studios was founded in 2018 by Mark Laursen, Joris Huijbregts, Sage Durain, Sune Thorsen and Founding Investor Lars Henriksen & Co-Founder Loren Roosendaal. The studio is working on their flagship title, Ember Sword, a modern rewrite of the games industry business model in favor of the user, and a love letter to MMORPG (Massively Online Role Playing Game) gamers.Ember Sword has the fast-paced combat of aRPGs, combined with the isometric view and skill-based abilities of MOBAs, set in a persistent MMORPG fantasy universe.Nominated as "Best Company to Internship at in 2021" in DenmarkEmber Sword: Free2Play Platform-Agnostic MMORPG ✔ Player-driven economy ✔ Classless combat system ✔ Scarce, tradable cosmetics (NFTs) ✔ No Pay2win, LootBoxes or Predatory Monetization ✔ Become a landowner, mold the gameworld ✔ Artist Workshop for community NFTs, create your own dances, hats and skins ✔ AI endures an epic player experience ✔ Proprietary custom built engine ✔Would you like to know more?www.EmberSword.comwww.BrightStar.Studio |  | Series A | Dec 06, 2021 |  |

2 of 2 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [BITKRAFT Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/bitkraft-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Night Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/night-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together

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## Featured in investor lists
- [Video Games Angel Investors in Denmark](https://shizune.co/investors/video-games-angel-investors-denmark)
- [Consumer Angel Investors in Denmark](https://shizune.co/investors/consumer-angel-investors-denmark)
- [Gaming Angel Investors in Denmark](https://shizune.co/investors/gaming-angel-investors-denmark)

## FAQ

### What does Rob Pardo invest in?

Rob Pardo invests primarily in Gaming, Mobile and Computer startups, most often at Series A and Funding Round stage. Most of the 2 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Denmark. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Rob Pardo last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Rob Pardo closed in Dec 2021. Shizune tracks 2 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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