One of Blizzard’s co-leaders is stepping down

Blizzard has announced that Jen Oneal, who only recently took on the role of co-leader back in August, will be leaving the company at the end of the year. 

In a statement released on the company’s website, Oneal explained that “I am doing this not because I am without hope for Blizzard, quite the opposite–I’m inspired by the passion of everyone here, working towards meaningful, lasting change with their whole hearts.” 

“This energy has inspired me to step out and explore how I can do more to have games and diversity intersect, and hopefully make a broader industry impact that will benefit Blizzard (and other studios) as well. While I am not totally sure what form that will take, I am excited to embark on a new journey to find out,” Oneal continued. 

In the statement, it was announced that effective immediately, Mike Ybarra, will be taking over and leading Blizzard all on his own. 

Before their departure, Oneal will transition into a new role within Activision Blizzard King in order to oversee the spending of a grant of one million dollars from Women in Games International. 

While this grant from Women in Games International will hopefully help improve the working culture within Activision Blizzard King, things are still looking grim, with multiple lawsuits still ongoing.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the company’s two biggest upcoming games, Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, have just been delayed indefinitely with releases not looking likely until 2023.