Activision Blizzard announced today that Jen Oneal is stepping down as co-CEO of Blizzard, which she started with Mike Ibarra in August. Jen Oneal stepped down as co-Chair of Blizzard just three months after taking office following a sexual harassment lawsuit against Activision Blizzard by the State of California. In August, Jen Oneal took over as co-CEO of Blizzard after the resignation of J. Allen Brack.
Before taking on the role of co-head of Blizzard Onil was previously head of Blizzard’s support studio, formerly known as Vicarious Visions. Onil previously headed the studio Vicarious Visions and was acquired by Activision Blizzard in early 2021. After being absorbed by Activision Blizzard, Onil Vicarious Visions led the team behind Tony Hawks Pro Skater 1 + 2, the last production released under the name of Vicarious Visions. While her brief tenure is allegedly dead, Jen Oneal remains a moot point.
Before leaving, Onil will take on a temporary role to help oversee Activision Blizzard’s $1 million grant to the non-profit organization. In a note to Blizzard employees and game fans, Oneal announced that she will take on a new role in the non-profit organization International Women’s Game Association (WIGI), starting with Activision Blizzard providing the organization with a $1 million grant.
Oneal announced his retirement in an open letter on Blizzard’s official news page stating that he will hand over his duties to co-worker Mike Ibarra by December. Onil announced her departure from Blizzard Entertainment on Tuesday, only three months after being named to the newly elected leadership together with Warcraft and Diablo studios Mike Ibarra who was featured in the news for sexual harassment and discrimination against women.
At the time of the lawsuit former CEO of Activision Blizzard, sent a letter to all employees a while ago discussing the launch of a corporate zero-tolerance policy against harassment, a 50% increase in the workforce for women and non-binary people and a reduction of his salary from California law allows people to be paid $ 62,500.
Oneal says upon completion of his time with Activision Blizzard he will work with ABK and WIGI leadership on how the grant itself will be used. Before leaving Activision Blizzard entirely, Oneal will “be working to define the first steps for using the grant and its structure,”.
Oneal and Ibarra took over as CEO of Blizzard in August after President J. Allen Brack was named in a California lawsuit and its alleged abusive and discriminatory culture, leading to his firing. Oneal and Ibarra co-hosted Blizzard in August after former Blizzard President J.
Both were relatively recent additions to Blizzard which gave them a certain distance from the supposed long-standing corporate culture of discrimination and sexual harassment. Brack decided to leave after a lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Housing and Housing following allegations of widespread discrimination and sexual harassment within the company.
It was announced that the release of Oneal coincided with a request for Blizzards’third quarter earnings report, which also reported game delays due to staffing issues, including the forthcoming sequels to the Overwatch and Diablo franchises. Blizzard Entertainment co-CEO Jen Oneal is also reported to be leaving in the wake of a scandal following a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company on behalf of a California state agency.
