Video games are a business, and people help make up that business, and people can sometimes make decisions that surprise people. For the team at Blizzard Entertainment, they were sent a blow when their President of 27 years, Mike Morhaime, revealed that he would be stepping down from the role, though he would still be with the company in an advisor category. A new President has been named in the form of J. Allen Brack, who has worked on World of Warcraft for a very long time.
Though no reason for the stepping down was given, the team revealed their thoughts on the matter:
“J. has been with Blizzard for over 12 years leading the World of Warcraft team, and it takes vision, creativity and unwavering commitment to excellence to sustain a community of players the way J. has for over a decade,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “J. is an inspiring leader. He has shown unwavering commitment to our community, to innovation and creative excellence and he cares deeply about ensuring the very best of Blizzard culture will be protected.”
Kotick added, “I am also excited to have Allen Adham, Blizzard’s founder, who rejoined the company two years ago and Ray Gresko, Blizzard’s Chief Development Officer, join Blizzard’s executive leadership team. I have known both Allen and Ray for more than 25 years and they are two of the most capable entrepreneurs in the game industry. They will help make certain that inspiration and creativity remains the focus of Blizzard.”
Morhaime had this to say on the situation:
“I want to thank all of the talented and hardworking people at Blizzard for their dedication, creativity and passion. It has been a privilege to lead this team. I’m also very grateful to Blizzard‘s player community for their support.”
We’ll have to see where Blizzard goes from here, and if there are any effects to the changing of positions.
