The clearing of employees across Xbox, Blizzard, and Bethesda (1900 total) now sees its first major replacement. Johanna Faries, who has previous experience working as an executive in the NFL in marketing and club business development, will fill in for the departing Mike Ybarra, this news becoming official January 29th in a memo sent to staff.

“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,” Faries continues.

“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.”

Johanna's experience running Call of Duty's eSports division may pay off for Overwatch 2. Once a prominent face of eSports, a combination of the Coronavirus complications shutting down the world in and the sexual harassment allegations against former Blizzard employees, the competitive field of Overwatch League completely dissolved. Will this be the change of culture and productivity that Blizzard finally needed? And does the consolidation of Microsoft's publishing/producing umbrella spell good news for the future?