Blizzard president, head of HR leave company amidst lawsuit, staff protests

Lots has happened overnight.

Blizzard President J. Allen Brack and Senior Vice President and Senior People Officer of Activision Blizzard Jesse Meschuk have both left the company, the publisher has declared.

The departures take place admist a lawsuit filed by the Californian Department of Fair Employment and Housing in which Brack is specifically named and after a walkout by Activision Blizzard staff in protest of a toxic workplace culture.

In a statement from Activision Blizzard, Brack is said to have left the company to “pursue new opportunities”. Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will take over as co-leaders of Blizzard in his stead.

“Jen and Mike will share responsibility for the development and operational accountability for the company,” reads a statement from COO Daniel Alegre. “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.

“With their many years of industry experience and deep commitment to integrity and inclusivity, I am certain Jen and Mike will lead Blizzard with care, compassion, and a dedication to excellence.”

Jen Oneal is the former head of Activision Blizzard’s Vicarious Visions and an executive vice president at Blizzard, while Mike Ybarra was previously a senior exec at Xbox before taking over as executive vice president and GM of platform at Blizzard.

Meanwhile Jesse Meschuk left his role at the company earlier “this week,” according to a statement by Activision Blizzard made to Bloomberg.

We’ll keep you informed as the situation at Activision Blizzard progresses.