1,900 Employees Laid Off, Mike Ybarra Has Left Blizzard
Mike Ybarra has left Blizzard in the wake of the recent layoff affecting 1,900 employees from both Activision Blizzard and Xbox.
Key Takeaways
- 1,900 employees are being laid off at Activision Blizzard and Xbox.
- Blizzard President Mike Ybarra has left the company voluntarily.
- Allan Adham will leave Blizzard soon, this is a decision he made on his own.
- Blizzard canceled the highly anticipated “Project Odyssey.”
Approximately 1,900 positions in both Activision Blizzard and Xbox departments are being cut following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard. The goal is to improve efficiency and create a sustainable financial model while focusing on growth prospects. Notably, among those departing is Blizzard President Mike Ybarra, who has served in the role since 2021.
Mike Ybarra Has Left Blizzard
Ybarra took to Twitter to announce his final day at Blizzard. He expressed his appreciation and sympathy to all those affected by the recent developments. The former Blizzard President also offered support and assistance to those impacted:
Reports indicate that Ybarra decided to leave Blizzard on his own. Yet, Jason Schreier recalled him expressing a commitment to a long-term tenure during BlizzCon 2023. As for who will take up the helm that Ybarra left behind, Microsoft intends to announce a new president for Blizzard next week. However, details regarding the potential candidate for the position have yet to be disclosed.
Allen Adham Will Soon Leave
Blizzard’s lead designer and co-founder, Allen Adham, will also be departing. Adham is one of Blizzard’s original co-founders since February 1991, when the company was still named Silicon & Synapse. Similar to Ybarra, Adham’s departure is voluntary and not part of the layoffs affecting other employees.
Project Odyssey Canceled
Blizzard has also recently announced the cancellation of “Project Odyssey.” This decision comes as a surprise as fans highly anticipated this survival game, which had been in development for over six years:
And to add, back in January 2023, Ybarra even teased it on his Twitter, sharing his pleasant dinner meeting with the project’s development team.
We’re hardly over the first month of 2024, and there have already been shocking developments within Blizzard and the gaming industry in general. Fans can only cross their fingers and hope this phase will soon pass.
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