Another of Blizzard’s top executives has departed the firm, and the studio’s two most anticipated games have been postponed until at least 2023.
Due to the departure of co-founder Jen Oneal, Blizzard has confirmed that both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 are now more than a year away.
Given the chaos caused by many lawsuits alleging toxic employment circumstances, including systemic discrimination and sexual harassment, this isn’t shocking news.
Those concerns remain unresolved, and Jen Oneal, who was recently selected as Blizzard’s co-leader, has now gone to pursue a career advocating diversity in the video game business.
‘I am doing this not because I am without hope for Blizzard, quite the opposite – I’m inspired by the passion of everyone here, working towards meaningful, lasting change with their whole hearts,’ she said in an email to staff.
‘This energy has inspired me to step out and explore how I can do more to have games and diversity intersect, and hopefully make a broader industry impact that will benefit Blizzard (and other studios) as well. While I am not totally sure what form that will take, I am excited to embark on a new journey to find out.’
Mike Ybarra, who spent 20 years at Microsoft’s Xbox business, is now the only boss of Blizzard, and he faces a difficult challenge in restoring trust in the developer both inside and outside the firm.
There are no information on what is happening with Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4, which may have already been delayed due to the pandemic.