Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
Game studio Blizzard Entertainment announced early July 3, President J. Allen Brack is stepping down from his leadership position. Reportedly, Brack is leaving to pursue other opportunities, but the timing is undoubtedly important, as the move comes amidst a lawsuit from California's Department of Fair and Equal Housing (DFEH). In his absence, the company is taking a new approach to leadership, bringing in two executives, Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra, to co-lead the company effective immediately.
Brack first joined Blizzard in 2006, where he primarily worked on World of Warcraft. He became president of Blizzard in 2018, when founder and CEO Mike Morhaime stepped down. Oneal, meanwhile, only joined Blizzard in January, and Ybarra in 2019. While Activision Blizzard as a whole is headed by executives like Bobby Kotick and Frances Townsend, Blizzard itself is only one of several of its divisions, over which Oneal and Ybarra will now be presiding.
According to the official announcement from Blizzard, Oneal was previously the head of Vicarious Visions, which was acquired by Activision in 2005 and merged into Blizzard in January 2021. That's when Oneal became Blizzard's EVP of development, working with the Diablo and Overwatch franchises. Ybarra, meanwhile, came from Xbox to become Blizzard's EVP and GM of Platform and Technology, working with game platform Battle.net and other development services. At the time of writing, Activision Blizzard's leadership page has not been updated to reflect the leadership changes, nor has the company specified what co-leadership will look like.
On a micro level, Oneal's background is highly creative, while Ybarra's is more technical. According to Blizzard, they will share responsibilities between game development and company operations. Their day-to-day duties will likely be divided according to their expertise, though the extent to which they'll work with any Blizzard franchises like Diablo and Overwatch remains unclear. There isn't any evidence to suggest that further hierarchical shifts or organizational changes will be made as a result, though the exact effects of the new leadership are likely still being determined during the abrupt transition.
On a macro level, the two co-leaders could possibly work together to effect much-needed change at Blizzard, something their relative newness at the company could embolden them to do. Blizzard's statement suggests that Oneal and Ybarra will look to make sure Blizzard is a diverse, safe, and welcoming environment, but this isn't the first time such values have been expressed on paper, and only time will tell whether new leadership will help in rebuilding trust with employees and consumers. A statement from Oneal and Ybarra is expected, but for now, their appointment leaves open questions as to J. Allen Brack's prior leadership, Blizzard's ongoing commitment to righting the wrongs outlined in the DFEH lawsuit, and whether there will be any other changes to executive leadership at Activision Blizzard as a whole.
Source: Blizzard
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