Blizzard President Steps Down Following Sexual Harassment Suit and Employee Walkout

J. Allen Brack has only been in charge for a few years but the Blizzard president decided it's time to move on. Brack has announced that he is stepping down from the company amidst a sexual harassment lawsuit and employee walkout.

Brack's departure was confirmed in an announcement on the company's website. It confirms that Brack will be replaced by former Vicarious Visions head Jen Oneal and former Xbox exec Mike Ybarra. The two will co-lead Blizzard amidst all the controversy.

Brack endorsed Oneal and Ybarra in his official statement.

"I am confident that Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will provide the leadership Blizzard needs to realize its full potential and will accelerate the pace of change. I anticipate they will do so with passion and enthusiasm and that they can be trusted to lead with the highest levels of integrity and commitment to the components of our culture that make Blizzard so special," Brack said.

The official reason for Brack's departure is listed down as wanting to "pursue new opportunities." However, it is widely believed that the former Blizzard president is distancing himself from the company after he was named in the sexual harassment lawsuit.

Brack isn't the only one who has decided to leave Blizzard this week. Jesse Meschuk, the company's head of global human resources, has also departed. This was confirmed by an Activision Blizzard spokesperson on the same day as Brack's exit.

Last week, a lawsuit was filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, revealing that female employees faced "constant sexual harassment." In addition to that, they were discriminated against based on their gender.

For now, it is unclear if there will be other Blizzard leaders who will decide to step down. However, there is a huge possibility that Brack and Meschuk will not be the last.

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick promised to clean house, writing that "anyone found to have impeded the integrity of our processes for evaluating claims and imposing appropriate consequences will be terminated." With that in mind, there could be more updates in the next few days. Stay tuned for more updates on this story.

Related: Activision Blizzard Employees Plan to Stage a Walkout on Wednesday As A Protest