J. Allen Brack, the President of Activision Blizzard’s Blizzard Entertainment group, has made the decision to step away from the gaming titan amid as it faces a company-wide sexual harassment lawsuit.
Brack will be replaced by two co-leaders, Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra, who will share responsibility for the video game firm’s development and operational accountability.
In a statement, President and COO Daniel Alegre said that “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.
Prior to being elevated to her new role, Oneal had been Blizzard’s EVP of Development and led the roadmaps for its wildly successful Diablo and Overwatch franchises. Ybarra was the EVP & General Manager of Platform and Technology at Blizzard and had overseen the company’s Battle.net venture.
Brack had been with the company since January 2006 and held multiple leadership roles, including as the executive producer for World of Warcraft, prior to being named president in October 2018.
In late July 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard that paints a picture of a culture of discrimination and sexual harassment against women at the company. Brack was alleged to have been aware that female employees were leaving the company as early as 2019.
Shortly after the lawsuit was announced, Brack reportedly called the allegations within the lawsuit "extremely troubling" and said that he would meet with employees to answer questions and discuss how the company can move forward.
Over 2,600 current and former employees jointly signed a letter critical of Activision Blizzard’s dismissive response to the allegations set out against the company. The company has also asked the law firm WilmerHale to conduct a review of our policies and procedures to ensure that we have and maintain best practices to promote a respectful and inclusive workplace.
--
The Org is a professional community where transparent companies can show off their team to the world. Join your company here to add yourself to the org chart!
