Image: Activision Blizzard / Kotaku / Emmanuel Dunand (.)
Jen Oneal, who took over the joint duties of the top job at Blizzard in August, will leave the company at the end of the year, she wrote in a statement today. In the meantime, you will be transitioning to a new but unspecified role at Activision Blizzard. Its co-director, Mike Ybarra, will assume the rest of his responsibilities with immediate effect.
Staff, including those from the ABK Alliance, learned of Oneal’s departure during an investor call this afternoon.
“This is a sad time for many of us at ABK, who were excited to have a new experience with a Woman of Color at the helm of our company,” wrote the ABK Alliance on Twitter. “We found out during our shareholders meeting and we wish Jen the best in her future endeavors.”
During that same shareholders meeting, Activision Blizzard announced the Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV delays. In August, Diablo IV’s director and lead designer were fired from the company following widespread allegations of harassment and discrimination, as well as damning evidence of the so-called “Cosby suite” at the 2013 BlizzCon event.
“Obviously there has been a change in leadership,” Ybarra said on today’s call in response to the delays, but objected to sharing specific launch dates.
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Amid a historic lawsuit against the company over harassment allegations, former Blizzard president J. Allan Brack resigned from his position, a position he has held since 2018. Oneal and Ybarra quickly took over.
“I want you to personally hear from me that I have made the decision to step away from the co-leadership of Blizzard Entertainment and will move into a new position before leaving ABK at the end of the year,” Oneal wrote today. “I am doing this not because I have no hope for Blizzard, quite the contrary. … This energy has inspired me to step up and explore how I can do more to bring games and diversity together and hopefully make a broader impact in the industry that will also benefit Blizzard (and other studios) « .
Following Oneal’s departure, Activision Blizzard, which made $ 8.1 billion in revenue last year, will donate $ 1 million to the nonprofit Women in Games International.
Additional reporting by Ian Walker.
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