As first reported by Kotaku by Kotaku, three prominent Blizzard employees were fired. This follows a sexual harassment case brought against the state of California. According to Kotaku, Luis Barriga (Diablo 4 game director), Jesse McCree (lead designer) and Jonathan LeCraft (World of Warcraft designer) are no longer employed by Blizzard. Activision Blizzard stated that the departures were confirmed to The Verge following publication of this story. However, they declined to comment on whether Barriga, McCree and LeCraft were fired.A talented and diverse group of developers is already in place. New leaders have been appointed where necessary, according to a spokesperson for Blizzard. We are confident that we can continue to make progress and deliver incredible experiences to our players. And, we will keep moving forward to create a safe and productive environment for everyone.McCree was the inspiration for Overwatch's McCree character.According to a Kotaku source, Activision Blizzard did not share the reason they were leaving the company. McCree was seen in a Kotaku screenshot. He appeared to be participating in the BlizzCon Cosby Crew chat. McCree was also the inspiration behind the name of McCree's character in Overwatch. Michael Chu, the former lead writer for Overwatch, revealed that McCree signed his name over to Overwatch in 2017 because they loved it for McCree's gunslinging character. McCree's name has been avoided by some Overwatch League broadcasters. According to Kotakus's latest story, LeCraft was also photographed in the Cosby Suite.We inquired if Blizzard would like to change McCrees' name in Overwatch. The company replied that it was looking into it. It is possible that the company will do so. Blizzards World Of Warcraft team has already removed many WoW in-game references to Alex Afrasiabi, days after the lawsuit was filed.Afrasiabi, a former World of Warcraft creative director and senior creative director, was named in the lawsuit. Blizzard stated to Kotaku that Afrasiabi was fired for misconduct in the treatment of other employees.Barriga, McCree and LeCraft are following the footsteps of J. Allen Brack (former president of Blizzard) and Jesse Meschuk (ex-VP of HR). Employees protested the company's response to the lawsuit in July. A shareholder sent a Tuesday letter stating that the company's response is not sufficient.Update August 11, 2007 at 7:35 PM ET: Blizzard has added a statement and context regarding another fired executive.
