Blizzard has had an ongoing scandal involving allegations of discrimination and harassment against women for weeks. Two executives, including a woman, Jen O’Neill of Vicarious Visions, are stepping in to replace the head of the company
Blizzard president Jay Allen Brack is leaving the company after two years on the team of one of the biggest computer game developers. He’ll be replaced by Jen O’Neill, who previously led Vicarious Visions, and Mike Ibarra, a former Xbox vice president, according to the company’s press office.
O’Neill and Ybarra will co-lead the company. “They are both deeply committed to protecting all of our employees and to the work ahead to ensure that Blizzard is a safe and welcoming workplace for women and people of any gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or background. They will uphold and reinforce our values and restore your trust,” the statement said.
The management change comes amid a scandal involving allegations of sexual harassment occurring within Blizzard. A lawsuit against the company in late July, the authorities in California, it indicated that it was based on numerous complaints from former and current employees. Soon after, according to PC Gamer, more than 3,000 employees of Activision Blizzard signed an open letter to the management, which spoke in defense of the victims of harassment and called for “official statements, which will recognize the seriousness of the allegations and which will show compassion for the victims of harassment.”
On July 28, a protest was held outside the company’s California office, where several hundred people came out with placards and slogans about the unacceptability of gender discrimination.
Employees claimed that women starting out at Blizzard were paid less than their male counterparts, faced difficulties in advancing their careers, long work hours, and inappropriate behavior from male colleagues.
Blizzard was founded in 1991 and merged with another developer, Activision, in 2008. The studio is known for developing a number of iconic games, including the Warcraft series, Starcraft and Diablo, Blizzard’s last major project being the multiplayer game Overwatch.