After employees walked out in response to a lawsuit containing numerous sexual assault allegations against leadership at the Irvine-based Activision Blizzard entertainment offices in July, the president of the video game publishing juggernaut, J. Allen Brack, stepped down just days later.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, August 3, Brack expressed that Blizzard must recognize the need for reflection, in order to make companywide changes.
“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.”
New leadership at Blizzard.
— Blizzard Entertainment (@Blizzard_Ent) August 3, 2021
The lawsuit, filed against Blizzard by the Secretary of State on behalf of the California Department of Fair Housing and Employment, specifically names Brack’s involvement in the perpetuation of the company’s ‘”frat boy” culture.
Brack will be replaced with a set of current Blizzard executives with more than three decades of leadership in the video game industry.
On August 3, Blizzard announced that Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will act as Blizzard’s co-leadership for the foreseeable future.
As a former Vice President of Development, Oneal has worked on both the Diablo and Overwatch franchises, while Ybarra joined Blizzard leadership.
While the announcement of Blizzard’s new change in leadership was made public, the company’s two new leaders have yet to publicly address the turbulent workplace environment that has been reported by multiple employees.
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