The last few months have been rough for Activision Blizzard, specifically the latter half of the company's namesake. The California state investigation and sexual harassment lawsuits continues to ravage executive leadership within Blizzard as several notable names, such as J Allen Brack and Jesse Meschuk, have given their resignations. Another name can now join that list as one of Blizzard's co-leads will be stepping down at the end of 2021.
Blizzard came under fire from the State of California in July 2021 in a lawsuit accusing the developer of multiple California Fair Employment and Housing Act violations for allegedly promoting a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination. The lawsuit followed a two-year investigation into the company in which state investigators said female employees were subject to harassment regularly by male peers, passed over for promotions, and paid less regardless of experience. As mentioned, this has led to multiple departures and firings at Activision Blizzard since July as the company remains bogged down in legal proceedings.
Jen Oneal is the latest name to join the list of departures as she confirmed she will be leaving Activision Blizzard at the end of the year. Oneal announced her departure in an open letter on Blizzard's official news page, saying she will be handing over her duties to fellow co-lead Mike Ybarra through December. She added her decision to leave Blizzard has nothing to do with the ongoing lawsuits or accusations of a toxic workplace culture.
Oneal previously served as the studio head of Vicarious Visions before it was absorbed into Activision Blizzard earlier in 2021.
Before her departure, Oneal will transition into a temporary role working helping oversee a $1 million grant from Activision Blizzard to the non-profit organization Women in Games International. Oneal, who is a board member with WIGI, said the grant will go towards funding "skill-building and mentorship programs" promoting equality and diversity in the games industry. Part of Oneal's responsibility will be deciding the first steps in the grant's utilization and how it will be structured.
Oneal closed out her letter thanking everyone at Blizzard for "championing the cause for equality" and the Blizzard community for their continued support of Blizzard's games.
Despite Oneal's stating her departure is not related to Blizzard's current legal problems, it comes at a time when the developer can ill-afford it. The aforementioned departures and firings have already taken their toll as the company is looking to fill multiple high-level roles inside Blizzard. It's also hit game development as both Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 have once again been delayed, this time with no release window.
Souce: Blizzard