Microsoft Names Call of Duty CEO New Blizzard President

Blizzard Entertainment has a new president. Microsoft decided that Joanna Faris will take over the role left vacant last week by Mike Ibarra’s departure. The executive, who comes from Activision, will take over on February 5, although she has already introduced herself to her future employees in an email released by the company.

Joanna Faris takes the reins of Blizzard after nearly 6 years of Call of Duty on Aktivizhn. The aforementioned joined the company in 2018 as the esports commissioner for the first-person shooter, and later became franchise CEO.

In her cover letter, Faris herself admitted that her appointment as president of Blizzard might be a bit of a shock. However, he stressed that his intention is to preserve the company’s distinctive culture while implementing new projects.

You could say that the leader opened his umbrella before it started to rain. Let us remember that the film was produced by Blizzard Entertainment and the previous management of Activision Blizzard, headed by Bobby Kotick. multiple short circuits for many years.

The company’s former CEO was very critical of the development timelines that Blizzard was working with. At the same time, the company did its best to defend itself against any attempts by Activision to interfere in its projects. This is why the election of Joanna Faris to the presidency is being presented as quite a bold decision from Microsoft.

“Activision, Blizzard and King are completely different companies with different games, cultures and communities. It is important to note that the way they Call of Duty waking up in the morning to meet players can often be different from Blizzard’s impressive kingdom games: each has a different gaming experience, the communities surrounding it, and the models for success required. “I have discussed this with Blizzard leadership, and I take on this role with an understanding of these dynamics and deep respect for Blizzard as we begin to explore how to take our universes to even greater heights.”

Joanna Faris, new president of Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard Entertainment Names Joanna Faris New President

Joanna Faris promised to quickly visit the Blizzard office to communicate directly with employees. In any case, in his speech he did not specifically mention What will be the basis of your management? or his roadmap for 2024.

The manager has a somewhat unique work history. Before joining Activision, he spent 12 years in the NFL, an American football league. So it’s still a personality relatively new in the video game sectorand must take command of an industry heavyweight.

Joanna Faris’ arrival at Blizzard Entertainment comes just days after Microsoft announced layoffs at Activision Blizzard, Bethesda and Xbox. In total, as it became known late last week, about 1,900 workers were injured.

In the specific case of Blizzard, layoffs were accompanied by employee departures. Mike Ibarrataking office in 2021, and Allen Adham, co-founder and chief designer of the company. In addition, it was decided to cancel the survival game, which was still untitled but had been in development for about 6 years. Microsoft said its intention was to move personnel associated with the title to other “promising projects,” without providing further details.

“I’m committed to doing everything in my power to help Blizzard thrive by caring and caring for you and our games, each of which is unique and special in its own way. I’m optimistic about our ability to serve our existing gaming communities.” and further enhance the shared passion for greatness, excellence and creative excellence that defines Blizzard’s approach to game creation,” Faris said.