As part of the 1,900 job cuts that Microsoft made last week, perhaps the most surprising was the coinciding departure of Blizzard president Mike Ybarra. It has been announced that Ybarra’s position will be taken over by Johanna Faries, an executive who helped oversee recent Call of Duty titles at Activision.
Ybarra stepped into the role of company president in 2021 with the departure of then-president J. Allen Brack, following reports of sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination within Blizzard. Ybarra initially shared the role with Jen Oneal but became the sole president when Oneal left the company shortly after.
Prior to starting work at Activision Blizzard in 2018, Faries was an NFL executive. Her work with Call of Duty was largely in regards to its esports league.
There was some concern by fans that Microsoft would install their own leadership to the company following Ybarra’s departure. While this isn’t the case, as Faries was already working at Activision Blizzard, I’m not sure it’s going to be of much comfort. Or maybe it will be if you’re someone who enjoys the esports side of Blizzard’s games. I don’t really have much of a horse in this race.
Faries introduced herself to Blizzard employees in an email where she identifies herself as a Diablo IV fan. She states that she’s aware that Call of Duties priorities differ from the way Blizzard does things and says she walks “into this role with sensitivity to those dynamics, and deep respect for Blizzard, as we begin to explore taking our universes to even higher heights.”
