Yahoo Finance Blizzard’s New President Johanna Faries Is a Former ‘Call of Duty,’ NFL Executive
(Bloomberg) -- Video-game developer Blizzard Entertainment has appointed Johanna Faries as its next president, the first new leader of the studio since Microsoft Corp. purchased its parent company Activision Blizzard Inc. for $69 billion.
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Faries, previously general manager for the Call of Duty franchise at Activision, will succeed Mike Ybarra, who left the company last week amid mass layoffs. Faries started at Activision in 2018 as head of Call of Duty esports. She previously spent nearly 12 years working at the National Football League.
The appointment of an Activision executive as Blizzard’s chief may come as a surprise to many employees. Before the acquisition, the maker of World of Warcraft had faced significant tensions with Activision executives over the length of time it took to develop games, among other issues. Former Activision Chief Executive Officer Bobby Kotick had pushed Blizzard to be more predictable, in the mode of the Call of Duty franchise, which releases a new version of the series every fall.
Faries appeared to acknowledge this conflict in a note to staff Monday, writing that “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,” Faries wrote. “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.”
The appointment comes as Xbox chief Phil Spencer and his president for game studios, Matt Booty, overhaul management at Activision in an attempt to stabilize game franchises and boost revenue at the acquired company. Since the pandemic boom has petered out, Microsoft’s own games business has faced slower growth or sales declines. On Tuesday, the company will report earnings for its fiscal second quarter, the first time it will integrate Activision’s sales into its results.
The delay in obtaining regulatory approval for the Activision deal has slowed Spencer’s ability to implement plans to address issues around morale, management and game development at the studios Microsoft acquired. It also pushed back his goals for using the deal to fuel a Microsoft entry into the mobile game market where it has lagged severely. Last week, Microsoft laid off 1,900 video-game employees, many of them in Activision, causing further upheaval among an already shaken workforce.
Current Call of Duty Vice President of Product Management Matt Cox will replace Faries as leader of that franchise, Microsoft said.
Faries will start on Feb. 5. She said she will be on Blizzard’s campus in Irvine, California, next week and will hold a town hall shortly afterward.
“Our commitment to Blizzard remains strong,” Booty wrote in a note to staff. “We are dedicated to helping the studio reach its full potential and confident that the teams will continue the current momentum of building great games.”
(Updates with new information about ‘Call of Duty’ leadership in eighth paragraph.)
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