After more than 15 years with Blizzard, its President, J. Allen Brack is stepping down from his position and leaving the company altogether.
The announcement of Brack’s departure was revealed in a blog post on the company’s website. The news comes after the ongoing lawsuit over sexual harassment and discrimination against women filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
The blog post makes zero mention of the lawsuit and is a blanket PR statement of what’s going on at the company. What it does reveal is that former Vicarious Visions leader Jen Oneal and former Xbox executive Mike Ybarra will take over Brack’s position as co-leaders.
“Jen and Mike have more than three decades of gaming industry experience between them. Moving forward, they will share responsibilities over game development and company operations,” Blizzard said. “Both leaders are deeply committed to all of our employees; to the work ahead to ensure Blizzard is the safest, most welcoming workplace possible for women, and people of any gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or background; to upholding and reinforcing our values; and to rebuilding your trust.
“With their many years of industry experience and deep commitment to integrity and inclusivity, Jen and Mike will lead Blizzard with care, compassion, and a dedication to excellence. You’ll hear more from Jen and Mike soon.”
Onel joined the company back in January of this year, before the news she was the executive vice president of development at Blizzard. while Ybarra joined the company back in 2019 and was the executive vice president and general manager of platform and technology for Blizzard.
“I am confident that Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will provide the leadership Blizzard needs to realize its full potential and will accelerate the pace of change. I anticipate they will do so with passion and enthusiasm and that they can be trusted to lead with the highest levels of integrity and commitment to the components of our culture that make Blizzard so special.” Brack said in a statement.
The real reason behind Brack’s departure hasn’t been revealed but the company states he is leaving to “pursue new opportunities”. This isn’t the only fallout from the lawsuit with Activision Blizzard employees walking out last week in protest to the company’s tone-deaf response to the case.
