Blizzard President J. Allen Brack is “stepping down” from the role ahead of today’s Activision Blizzard investor call. This comes following a tumultuous few weeks kicked off by the publication of a California lawsuit against the company for a discriminatory “frat boy” culture at the company. Brack, one of the “old guard” who has been with Blizzard since 2005, took over as president in 2018 following the departure of Mike Morhaime. Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra are stepping in as “co-leaders,” no doubt in an effort to show a woman in an equal seat of power with a man at the head of the company amidst allegations of inequality towards its female employees.
Brack was one of the two named in the California lawsuit as someone who enabled the toxic and abusive male dominated culture at Activision Blizzard. Specifically, he reportedly only gave Alex Afrasiabi (the other one named) “slaps on the wrist” for his chronic abusive behavior. Additionally, a video surfaced from BlizzCon 2010 showing Brack on a panel engaging with rather sexist remarks towards a female fan asking a genuine question about female representation in the game. Despite all of this, shortly after the lawsuit came out, Brack claimed that he had been fighting against the company’s “bro culture.”
Activision Blizzard employees have been demanding accountability and action from the company since the California lawsuit was published. They organized a walkout last week, propped up by a list of demands that would empower the employees and help create a safer working environment. Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick responded, but failed to address any of the employees direct demands while also employing a notoriously “pro corporate/anti-union” law firm to handle an audit of the company’s policies. Employees weren’t happy with this response, which still felt like it was dismissing many of the employees’ biggest concerns.
Brack’s ousting today strikes many as a tangible action ahead of the investor call so that Activision Blizzard can point to that specific personnel change as the company doing something to address the allegations, making Brack the fall guy. Whether any additional executive shifts will happen—including the resigning of the controversial Fran Towsend, who angered employees with her rather dismissive response, as well a tweet with an article titled “The Problem With Whistleblowers,” and actively blocking concerned Activision Blizzard employees who called her out—is unknown.
Other evidence seems to indicate that Activision Blizzard is ready to move past the California lawsuit, its allegations, and the demands for change with as little shakeup as possible. The executive suite at the company is acting in a rather authoritative manner, but has so far failed to directly involve employees or meet their demands. With many alleging that the problems stem from the corporate side and overall culture that has been allowed to fester, employees are reticent to trust a management that has already failed them with their issues.
Blizzard’s new leadership will signal a drastic change for the company however, though it’s yet unknown what it will look like. Oneal is a newcomer to the company, joining in January of this year as executive vice president of development at Blizzard, overseeing games like Overwatch and Diablo. Ybarra, formerly at Xbox, joined Blizzard in 2019 as the executive vice president and general manager of platform and technology, in charge of Battle.net and services at the company. Their new co-leadership role sees them sharing responsibilities over game development and operations.
Before departing, Brack had a final comment about the new leadership:
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.
The announcement from Blizzard did not directly address the lawsuit or allegations made against the company, nor did it specify a reason for Brack stepping down. However, it did mention that the new leadership will “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.” It also thanks the Blizzard community for their “passion and determination for safety and equality for all.”
More comments on Brack’s ousting are expected on today’s Activision Blizzard investor call.
[Source: Blizzard]