2021 has not been a good year for Blizzard or its fans. Beyond all internal company problems, which have not been few or small, the long delay of their next big games has been coupled with cancellation of Blizzcon. A cluster of problems that does not seem to rebound: the newly appointed co-leader of Blizzard Entertainment Jen Oneal will leave the company at the end of the year.
Oneal took over the reins of the company together with Mike Ybarra last August. Very few months later, and through an official statement, it becomes official that Ybarra fully assumes the direction of Blizzard effective immediately.
The reasons for this decision? Jen Oneal It has been proposed generate a greater impact for the video game industry beyond Blizzard. Making it clear in his statement that he still has hope for the company he has co-led these months.
I am not doing it because I have no hopes of Blizzard, quite the opposite: I am inspired by the passion of everyone here, working with all their hearts for meaningful and lasting change.
This energy has inspired me to step forward and explore how I can do plus for games and diversity to intersect and hopefully make a broader impact in the industry that benefits Blizzard (and other studios) as well.
While I’m not entirely sure how that will end up taking that, I’m excited to embark on a new journey to find out.
Of course, Jen Oneal will not leave Blizzard without leaving an initiative according to what she wants to promote outside of it by announcing a million dollar grant I’m ONG Women in Games International -to which Oneal itself belongs- dedicated to promoting equality and diversity in the video game industry.
Diablo IV and Overwatch 2 are going beyond 2022
Perhaps the storm Blizzard is going through would be easier to handle with the arrival of your most anticipated projects.
In addition to the restructuring of Blizzard’s management, a shareholders’ meeting was held to discuss the company’s future plans. It has confirmed what many of us took for granted: the expected sequels of two of the key sagas of the Californian company will not only arrive later than expected, but also there is no longer a date on the horizon.
While we are still planning to release a substantial amount of Blizzard content next year, we are currently planning a later release for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV than originally planned.
It doesn’t hurt to remember that both games recently lost to their top managers
The teams have come a long way and have passed important milestones recently, and we hope they are fantastic launches. But obviously there has been a change in leadership.
We looked at what we left behind in the final stages of production with fresh eyes and saw that giving teams more time would allow for great experiences at launch and would also help ensure that everything is in place to engage communities for many years to come. come
That Blizzard sees this situation as an opportunity to give each project more development time and meet the expectations generated is a good thing.
Follow in the footsteps of Cyberpunk 2077 it would be a fatal blow for a company that is going through one of its most delicate moments. In any case, the recent launch of the Diablo II remake It is an oxygen balloon for the brand.
