For the first time in Blizzard’s long history, the company will be co-led by a woman.
In an unexpected turn of events, The Head of Blizzard J Allen Brack has stepped down from his role as president of gaming giant Blizzard. This comes after Activision Blizzard was sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing after receiving “many complaints regarding unlawful harassment, discrimination, and retaliation” at the company.
The employees consequently staged a walkout in protest of the reactions of leadership to the lawsuit.
Blizzard announced the news today via a blog post and also noted that “Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will co-lead Blizzard moving forward.”
Jen Oneal joined Blizzard in January this year as executive vice president of development, where she’s been providing senior development leadership and support to the Diablo and Overwatch franchises. She also happens to be the former head of Vicarious Visions that was absorbed by Blizzard Entertainment.
The other co-leader Mike Ybarra on the other hand has been with Blizzard since 2019 having previously spent many years at Xbox. He joined Blizzard as executive vice president and general manager of platform and technology, where he’s been overseeing the evolution of Battle.net and Blizzard’s development services organization.

In the blogpost Blizzard stated that:” Both leaders are deeply committed to all of our employees; to the work ahead to ensure Blizzard is the safest, most welcoming workplace possible for women, and people of any gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or background; to upholding and reinforcing our values; and to rebuilding your trust. With their many years of industry experience and deep commitment to integrity and inclusivity, Jen and Mike will lead Blizzard with care, compassion, and a dedication to excellence. You’ll hear more from Jen and Mike soon.”
Hinting at a possible press release from the pair soon which we will be watching out for.

J Allen Brack made his own statement regarding the decision: “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. Finally, thank you all for being a part of the Blizzard community, and for your passion and determination for safety and equality for all.
This major decision’s timing seems to coincide with Activision Blizzard’s Quarterly earnings call which would’ve seen live calls taken from Brack himself. So it seems Activision Blizzard is now actively trying to correct the issues they have had in the past with the “Toxic” work atmosphere that employees found themselves in.
This story has taken a positive turn and we will be keeping tabs on it as it evolves so stay tuned.