Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Last week, Microsoft laid off nearly 2,000 employees as part of restructuring following the completion of its Activision Blizzard acquisition last fall. One of the more notable departures from the company was Mike Ybarra, who previously served as the president of Blizzard Entertainment. Now, the company has appointed his successor in Johanna Faries.
Blizzard announced Johanna Faries as its next president in a blog post today. In the open letter, Faries references the mass layoffs that took place last week. “The loss of talented teammates in recent days is hard to hold side-by-side with the immense excitement I feel about joining Blizzard – and building on the momentum you’ve created for Blizzard’s next chapter.”
Johanna Faries previously served as the general manager of the Call of Duty franchise for Activision, and worked at the NFL for over a decade. There was a bit of tension between leadership at Activision and Blizzard in recent years, and Faries seemingly acknowledges this in her letter. “Activision, Blizzard, and King are decidedly different companies with distinct games, cultures, and communities,” she wrote.
Johanna Faries will officially start as the president of Blizzard on February 5, 2024. For the latest Activision Blizzard news post-Microsoft acquisition, Shacknews has you covered.