Activision Blizzard is one of the biggest names in gaming, and the company is attached to many unignorably monumental game series such as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch. Thanks to a series of acquisitions and a number of successful franchises, it stands tall as one of the largest game companies in the world.
In recent years, Activision Blizzard has found itself under quite a lot of fire due to a number of serious controversies regarding allegations of workplace harassment and discrimination. As a result, a number of employees have been dismissed or have left in protest. This is part of a larger trend that has befallen Activision Blizzard, which has seen the company lose several of its key employees in the past year. Consequently, for better or for worse, Activision Blizzard is not the same company it once was.
J. Allen Brack
In August 2021, J. Allen Brack, who was the head of Blizzard, left the company. He has worked at Blizzard for over a decade and served as the leader of World of Warcraft's development team. Since 2018, he worked as president of Blizzard.
His replacements are Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra, who serve as co-leaders of Blizzard. According to a press release put out by Activision Blizzard, Jen and Mike are responsible for "development and operational accountability" within the company. Oneal is experienced in the gaming industry and has previously served as the head of Vicarious Visions studio. She has also been the Executive Vice President of Development at Blizzard. Mike, also an industry vet, has previously worked as Executive Vice President & General Manager of Platform and Technology at Blizzard.
Although not much explanation was given for his departure, Activision Blizzard's press release states that he has gone on to pursue new opportunities. In the harassment and discrimination lawsuit brought against Activision Blizzard, Brack was named. The lawsuit claims that Brack had only given a slap on the wrist to male employees harassing women.
Jen Oneal
Despite being appointed as co-leader of Blizzard in August 2021, Jen Oneal already announced that she will be stepping down. This leaves Mike Ybarra to lead Blizzard alone. As Oneal explains in a public statement, her reason for departure is not due to her losing hope in Blizzard. Rather, she is aware of all the issues in the gaming industry, and she wishes to explore how she can better make gaming and diversity intersect.
Oneal is a board member of Women in Games International, a non-profit organization that strives to increase equality and diversity in the gaming industry around the world. As a show of support for Oneal's decision, Activision Blizzard gave a $1 million grant to the organization. While she will no longer serve as leader of Blizzard, she will work closely with Activision Blizzard to ensure the grant is effectively utilized.
Jeff Kaplan
Jeff Kaplan has worked at Blizzard for a number of years. He gained the attention of Blizzard through playing an MMO called Everquest, where he made friends with fellow guild members who worked at Blizzard. They invited him to the company, and he was hired in 2002. Kaplan initially began working on World of Warcraft, eventually becoming one of the game directors.
In 2009, he stepped down as game director to work on a new Blizzard game titled Titan. Although that game would never see the light of day, many elements from that project would be used in Overwatch, with Kaplan serving as lead director. Needless to say, Overwatch has been a monumental success and remains one of Activision Blizzard's most successful games. After nineteen years at Blizzard, Kaplan left the company in April 2021. He was replaced by Aaron Keller. In September 2021, Overwatch 2 execute producer Chacko Sonny also left Blizzard.
Jesse McCree
Jesse McCree, a lead designer at Blizzard, left the company in 2021. He shares a name with Overwatch character Jesse McCree who has since been renamed Cole Cassidy. World of Warcraft's Eredath zone was also originally named Mac'Aree, which is likely a reference to Jesse McCree.
Jesse's departure from Blizzard is shrouded with controversy. He left in the midst of Activision Blizzard's workplace harassment allegations. He was among the employees pictured in the infamous BlizzCon Cosby Suite. According to lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard, women were harassed in the suite owned by World of Warcraft developer Alex Afrasiabi.
World of Warcraft
Three other Activision Blizzard employees left the company in the wake of harassment and discrimination scandals; Alex Afrasiabi, Luis Barriga, and Jonathan LeCraft. Afrasiabi served as a Senior Creative Director for World of Warcraft, and he has been with the company since 2004. LeCraft served as a designer for World of Warcraft. Barriga has been with Blizzard since 2005. He was a lead game designer for World of Warcraft. He was also a game director for Diablo IV.
According to Activision Blizzard, Afrasiabi was dismissed in 2020 for "his misconduct in his treatment of other employees." However, he is named in the 2021 lawsuit brought against Activision Blizzard. In the lawsuit, it is claimed that Afrasiabi would harass female employees in front of other male employees, and would also call them derogatory names. LeCraft left at the same time as Jesse McCree and Luis Barriga in 2021.
Although the big names that have been listed are the most prominent employees that have left Activision Blizzard recently, they are not the only ones to depart the company in the last year. In the wake of sexual harassment and discrimination allegations, several other less senior employees have left in protest. While some of the changes to the company have been made in order to remedy the situation, several leaders still remain. Most notably, Bobby Kotick, who is CEO of Activision Blizzard, still holds his position despite calls for him to be removed following allegations that he has been aware of ongoing misconduct at the company. Hence, players are left to question whether any meaningful change has occurred.
The release of upcoming titles such as Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 will prove whether Activision Blizzard is in its dying days, or if the gaming giant can rise once again.