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Johanna Faries Announced as New President of Blizzard Entertainment

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Today, the following email was delivered to all Blizzard employees by Johanna Faries, the new President of Blizzard Entertainment: "Dear Blizzard, though my official first day with you all is February 5, I want to let you know immediately that it is an honor to join you next week in this new capacity. I do so humbly and in awe of all that Blizzard has stood for and delivered to the world for over thirty years. Today also brings some mixed emotions. 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 want to thank Matt (Booty) for the introduction, bring some further clarity to today's announcement, and share more about how I see our future together at Blizzard. I understand this is a lot to take in. The news of my appointment may no doubt bring up a range of reactions, questions, even concerns. Activision, Blizzard, and King are decidedly different companies with distinct games, cultures, and communities. It is important to note that Call of Duty's way of waking up in the morning to deliver for players can often differ from the stunning games in Blizzard's realm: each with different gameplay experiences, communities that surround them, and requisite models of success. I've discussed this with the Blizzard leadership team and I'm walking into this role with sensitivity to those dynamics, and deep respect for Blizzard, as we begin to explore taking our universes to even higher heights."




"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. I'm optimistic about our ability to serve our current and future player communities, and to further amplify the shared passion for greatness, polish, and creative mastery that is a hallmark of Blizzard's approach to game-making. Next week, I will be in Irvine and I am eager to connect with as many of you as possible. I will be scheduling informal (and totally optional) meet-and-greets, where I want to hear more from people across the organization. Those of you who cannot make it to those gatherings or aren't located in Irvine, please feel free to email me. We are also planning a town hall meeting to be held in the near future.

A few personal facts about me: my #1 job in life is raising two amazing boys. In addition to parenthood, a typical week for me includes finding time for daily yoga and prayer, and of course, playing video games (big Diablo IV fan over here!). Throughout, the joy I find in games - and working with those who make them - only deepens. I remain inspired by Blizzard's iconic legacy, and the transformative role gaming has played in my life and in the lives of others. I cannot wait to get going - to listen, to learn, to empower, and to collaborate with all of you on our bold and bright future together. Together, may we forge many legendary days ahead."
  • Johanna

View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source
 
This is Bobby Kotick world.
Bobby.jpg
 
I have since the beginning when Microsoft said they were interested in buying Blizzard - concerned. Now they have fired 1900 employees already and cancelled a few new IPs, what's next? I already see them running current IPs into the ground with piss-poor decisions. If they make me use the Xbox Launcher (vs Blizz's) or something goofy like that, I'm calling it a wrap.
 
Actually this is a shrewd move by Microsoft. Apparently Blizzard was was full of male sexual hubris. Having a Woman in charge is a paradigm shift in that culture. Now complaints will be taking seriously and I expect more heads to roll as well.
 
Kotick was pure cancer, MS (so far) is doing the right thing by purging the old guard.
It will take some time to get rid of that stench fully though, I'm sure.
 
"In her email, she says she's a big Diablo IV fan"

LOL What? That "game" is cancer, and nothing like what the original Blizzard corporation produced. DEI pick, all business, no gaming credentials, probably doesn't play video games either if she thinks D4 is "good".
 
Imouto said:
Someone with five years of experience in the industry leading Blizzard. I can't wait to see how this pans out.
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I'm of the it can't possibly get worse than Kotick opinion.
From a business perspective if she can't hang, drop her and move on; at least the toxic elephant has left the room.
 
Guwapo77 said:
I have since the beginning when Microsoft said they were interested in buying Blizzard - concerned. Now they have fired 1900 employees already and cancelled a few new IPs, what's next? I already see them running current IPs into the ground with piss-poor decisions. If they make me use the Xbox Launcher (vs Blizz's) or something goofy like that, I'm calling it a wrap.
Click to expand...

Odyssey is ONE new IP, not a few. and layoffs are widepsread the last year in tech and video game companies, its not like Microsoft only did. the Microsoft hate gets ricidulous after a certain point, "what's next" o_O
 
kapone32 said:
Actually this is a shrewd move by Microsoft. Apparently Blizzard was was full of male sexual hubris. Having a Woman in charge is a paradigm shift in that culture. Now complaints will be taking seriously and I expect more heads to roll as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah right, because one single suit way up top will change things in any meaningfull way. This is nothing more than virtue signalling for the press. I won't say it's good or bad, I don't even know this person, but the move is an obvious PR move after countless sexual harrassment cases.

Hopefully they clean house but I doubt this move will even move the needle.
 
Well we all know that blizzard quality and games have been going downhill....
Now that Bobby is gone, lets hope it gets better from here and even though i dont think it will be back to blizzards glory days
One can hope the old franchise can continue to develop... and fix current games
 
lexluthermiester said:
Exactly, so why bother?
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Just optics, maybe? I have no idea why the company would even need a President of their own since she will just be directly carrying out the directives of Spencer anyway. This seems to me as being something that Lead Producers for the individual teams can do just as well.
But I am not fully versed in American corporate structures, so maybe I am missing something.
 
Phil_Frenchy said:
Plus she was the lead of E-Sport blizzard, can we talk about Overwatch or anything doing good ? Doesn’t inspire me confidence in the futur.
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To be fair, people who were involved in OWL and CoD, as well as reputable e-sports journalists like Richard Lewis, were all talking rather highly of her expertise in the field and how approachable and quick to at least try and resolve issues she was.
The e-sports side of Blizzard failed because the overall approach was faulty from the very start and by the time she was appointed she was, essentially, handed over a sinking ship. If she was around to guide the only game that actually HAD e-sports potential way back when (SC2) we might have had a different perspective. But she wasn’t and since then ActiBlizz tried to shoehorn games that could not have been less likely to be successful e-sports into the scene, using stupider and stupider formats (the OWL was a catastrophe in the making from the start). Little wonder it failed .
 
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Guwapo77 said:
I have since the beginning when Microsoft said they were interested in buying Blizzard - concerned. Now they have fired 1900 employees already and cancelled a few new IPs, what's next? I already see them running current IPs into the ground with piss-poor decisions. If they make me use the Xbox Launcher (vs Blizz's) or something goofy like that, I'm calling it a wrap.
Click to expand...

What IPs? Also those new IPs where from ABK of 2024, not Blizzard of 2004, people seem to forget about that. I would have been excited over a survival Blizzard game 10 years ago, but now? No way.
 
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Diversity hire? Or a geuinely right person for the job? Time will tell, I give her benefit of the doubt.
 
Guwapo77 said:
I have since the beginning when Microsoft said they were interested in buying Blizzard - concerned. Now they have fired 1900 employees already and cancelled a few new IPs, what's next? I already see them running current IPs into the ground with piss-poor decisions. If they make me use the Xbox Launcher (vs Blizz's) or something goofy like that, I'm calling it a wrap.
Click to expand...
You haven't already called it a wrap? I've refused to buy Blizzard games for years. I just don't trust them anymore. Its been like 10+ year process. Even when people were saying how great diablo 4 was, I just felt confident they would run it into the ground like they always do.
 
Double-Click said:
I'm of the it can't possibly get worse than Kotick opinion.
From a business perspective if she can't hang, drop her and move on; at least the toxic elephant has left the room.
Click to expand...
Oh yes it can. Look at Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro and its new CEO.

One fuck up after another. Already managed to put the axe on the roots of D&D and MTG.
Luckily covid and a new gen of players saved their ass. Check out the OGL license shitstorm, its a good read of how new CEO's can fail harder than anything before them.

Regardless, I don't think a new leader makes for a different company. Talent isn't something you can just inspire. Company either has it or doesn't. And either cultivated it, or didn't. Blizzard didn't, what's left are the worst of the crop.

iameatingjam said:
You haven't already called it a wrap? I've refused to buy Blizzard games for years. I just don't trust them anymore. Its been like 10+ year process. Even when people were saying how great diablo 4 was, I just felt confident they would run it into the ground like they always do.
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I can totally see them coming back with franchise resets, but anything coming out for the next 3-4 years isn't going to be that.
 
Diablo 4 Fan? :D

This shows how distant the person is from the real struggle making products like these and what it lacks to make a good product. It is a short nonsense that proves we have a wrong person here.
 
Vayra86 said:
I can totally see them coming back with franchise resets, but anything coming out for the next 3-4 years isn't going to be that.
Click to expand...
Taking in mind how Microsoft shat the bed with Halo Infinite by outsourcing the development I'd say Blizzard is royally screwed.
 
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