After weeks of controversy surrounding the company's alleged culture sexism, J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment, resigned today. California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a sweeping suit on July 20 alleging that Activision Blizzard was committing gender-based discrimination.Activision Blizzard employees say Bracks' departure is only one step towards addressing systemic problems. Blizzard's culture is not the responsibility of one individual. The problems at ABK are broader than Blizzard and require systemic changes, tweeted Activision Blizzard King Workers Alliance. This self-described organization of Activision Blizzard Inc. employees is committed to defending our rights to a safe, equitable workplace.Blizzards Jen Oneal, Mike Ybarra and Mike Ybarra will replace Brack as copresidents. Oneal was the studio head at Vicarious Visions. He is best known for creating the Tony Hawk series and Skylanders series. The studio was acquired by Activision in 2005. Oneal is involved in many initiatives that promote women leadership. Ybarra is an executive vice president at Blizzard. He has been with the company for approximately two years. He previously served as the corporate vice president for Xbox at Microsoft for 19 years.Brack posted a message to Blizzard.com stating that he is confident Jen Oneal, and Mike Ybarra would provide the leadership Blizzard requires to reach its full potential. They will be passionate and enthusiastic and I believe they will lead with integrity and devotion to the elements of Blizzard's culture. Since October 2018, he has been president of Blizzard.J. Allen Brack, Activision Blizzard's leadership, realized that Blizzard Entertainment needed a new direction and leadership in light of the crucial work ahead in terms workplace culture, game development and innovation. The company released a statement to WIRED.Activision Blizzard has been in turmoil for weeks. This morning's announcement ends that chaos. DFEHs complaint revealed disturbing details about Activision Blizzard's "fraternity culture", alleging that there were inequalities from pay disparity to sexual misconduct permissiveness. Brack is the only person specifically mentioned in the suit. According to the DFEH, he was subject to numerous complaints of unlawful harassment, discrimination and retaliation. This includes Alex Afrasiabi, former World of Warcraft creative director. Afrasiabi was accused of sexually harassing female employees. He was also alleged to have held a Blizz Con suite called the Cosby Suite. A spokesperson for Kotaku stated that Afrasiabi was fired after an investigation.Brack sent employees an email on July 23rd, shortly after the DFEHs investigation was made public. He noted that he couldn't comment on the details of the DFEHs case as it was still under investigation.Although Brack's email was somewhat conciliatory, Activision Blizzard leadership was more dismissive. According to a spokesperson, the DFEH complaint contains distorted and often false descriptions of Blizzard's past. Activision Blizzard chief compliance officer Fran Landsend described the suit as irresponsible and meritless.The backlash from both employees and fans was intense. Activision Blizzard employees, particularly those who have experienced discrimination at the company felt that the response was lacking in accountability and empathy. Activision Blizzard employees, Kingall, and Activision Blizzardbegan to coordinate their solidarity with the victims. More than 3,000 employees signed a condemnation letter against their leaders' response. Employee organizers also requested that mandatory arbitration clauses in contracts be removed. They also requested salary transparency and diversity-promoting recruiting policies. Afterward, Kotick apologized for his tone-deaf initial responses. He said that he would review leaders, vet hiring practices and investigate claims.
