Blizzard’s President Has Stepped Down Amidst The Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against The Company
Blizzard Entertainment was a fan-favorite company in the video game industry and still maintains massive IPs under its umbrella including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft. Nonetheless, over the past week, the company has been under fire from fans, video gamers and the general populace alike as California has filed a sexual harassment against the company. The lawsuit traverses a wide array of allegations made by employees and serious, saddening allegations have been unearthed. In light of that, J. Allen Brack has announced that he will be stepping down as leader of the studio.
J. Allen Brack began working at Blizzard Entertainment in 2005 and became President of the company in 2018. However, recent allegations and controversy required a decision that showed an intolerant attitude toward the allegation and so, Brack has decided to step down.
Brack will be replaced by Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra, who will co-lead Blizzard moving forward. Jen Oneal joined Blizzard in January as an executive Vice President of Development, and has mainly been involved in Overwatch and Diablo. She was the former head of Vicarious Visions, a company that now forms part of Blizzard Entertainment.
Mike Ybarra had a lengthy stint at Xbox and has been overseeing the development of Battle.net and development services organization at Blizzard since his arrival in 2019.
In leaving, Brack left the following message, “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.”
What are your thoughts on the lawsuit? What are your thoughts on the change in leadership? Is it enough? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter and Facebook.