Following a turbulent period at Blizzard Entertainment, the business appointed Johanna Faries, a former general manager of Call of Duty, as the next president of Blizzard Entertainment. Following the abrupt resignation of the prior boss Mike Ybarra, Faries becomes the first woman to hold the office of President at Blizzard.
Following a widespread round of layoffs throughout Microsoft’s gaming divisions, including Activision Blizzard, Ybarra abruptly resigned. Almost 1,900 jobs were eliminated, including some in Blizzard’s customer support department. This was just one difficult month for those who create video games. Blizzard also witnessed the announcement of Allen Adham’s exit, one of the company’s co-founders, at the same time. Together with Frank Pearce and Mike Morhaime, Adham launched Blizzard, formerly Silicon & Synapse, in February 1991. Since then, Activision and Microsoft have both seen several leadership changes at Blizzard.
She remarked, introducing to the staff her new role.
“I want to let you know immediately that it is an honor to join you next week in this new capacity. I say this with humility and admiration for everything that Blizzard has accomplished over the course of more than thirty years. There are also conflicting feelings about today.”
“The loss of talented teammates in recent days is hard to hold side-by-side with the immense excitement I feel about joining Blizzard – and building on the momentum you’ve created for Blizzard’s next chapter.”
“I am committed to doing everything I can to help Blizzard thrive, with care and consideration for you and for our games, each unique and special in their own right.”
Johanna Faries was named by Microsoft on January 29 to become the next president of Blizzard. Faries is the first female president of Blizzard Entertainment, having previously served as general manager of the Call of Duty series. Faries worked in several marketing and commercial divisions in the National Football League (NFL) front office for 12 years before joining Activision Blizzard. Faries starts working on February 5th, according to an email distributed to every employee at Blizzard. Activision, Blizzard, and King are distinct firms with separate objectives and expectations, according to Faries, even if she mentions the layoffs that occurred at Microsoft in January in her letter. Faries said that in the interim, she will collaborate with the Blizzard leadership group.
About Johana Faries
As Blizzard Entertainment’s President, Johanna Faries takes over from Mike Ybarra on February 5. Following Microsoft’s acquisition, Blizzard Entertainment had its first female leader and first new president. Former Call of Duty general manager and lead for esports (2018–2024). From 2007 until 2018, the Vice President of Club Business Development was a former NFL executive.
Apart from her previous involvement in the Call of Duty series and her experience in esports, Faries mentioned that she enjoys playing video games like Diablo 4 and Baldur’s Gate 3 during her free time. Faries will collaborate with other executives, such as Xbox Game company head Matt Booty and Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer, as part of the company’s reorganization of all its gaming companies and acquisitions. Faries becomes leadership amidst a hectic 2024 at Blizzard, where World of Warcraft and Diablo 4 upgrades are already planned. It is unclear if Faries will provide her esports knowledge to the recently established Overwatch Championship Series.
