Blizzard President J. Allen Brack decided to leave the studio, breaking news by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. A “co-leader” group of Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will replace Brack. This is according to Activision Blizzard, who announced the report to the company earlier today.
BREAKING: Blizzard president J. Allen Brack is leaving the company, Activision Blizzard just told staff. Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will take over as "co-leaders of Blizzard."
Filed to Bloomberg Terminal, story will be live shortly
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) August 3, 2021
Check out the official letter sent out by President and COO Daniel Alegre to all employees below:
August 3, 2021
I am pleased to announce that, effective immediately, Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra have been appointed co-leaders of Blizzard. Jen and Mike will share responsibility for development and operational accountability for the company. Both are leaders of great character and integrity and are deeply committed to ensuring our workplace is the most inspired, welcoming environment for creative excellence and to upholding our highest game development standards.
Many of us already know Mike and Jen and have experienced their leadership, their empathy and their unwavering sense of accountability:
- Jen is an 18-year company veteran and the former head of Vicarious Visions studio. As Executive Vice President of Development at Blizzard, she has been providing senior development leadership and support to the Diablo and Overwatch franchises.
- Mike has been in the technology and gaming industries for over 20 years, including 7 years as a senior executive at Microsoft’s XBOX division. Most recently Mike was Executive Vice President & General Manager of Platform and Technology at Blizzard overseeing Battle.net and our Development Services organizations.
With their many years of industry experience and deep commitment to integrity and inclusivity, I am certain Jen and Mike will lead Blizzard with care, compassion and a dedication to excellence.
With Jen and Mike assuming their new roles, J. Allen Brack is leaving the company to pursue new opportunities.
Daniel
J. Allen Barrack’s Activision Blizzard Bio
“J. joined Blizzard in January 2006 and held multiple leadership roles prior to being named president in October 2018. He served as executive producer for World of Warcraft, the #1 subscription-based MMORPG in the world, overseeing every aspect of development and operations for the game. Under J.’s direction, World of Warcraft has captivated millions of players worldwide and received a steady stream of substantial content updates, including multiple expansions that rank among the fastest-selling PC games of all time.”
