Activision Blizzard Michael Morhaim Steps Down, J. Allen Brack Is New President

Individual game developers come and go often when it comes to video games, especially when talking about AAA games like World of Warcraft and Overwatch. But, it's not often that you see a massive change up of heirarchy in these companies. Activision Blizzard announced that Michael Morhaime, Blizzard co-founder, has stepped down from the Position of President and is being replaced by World Of Warcraft Executive Producer J. Allen Brack. 

“J. has been with Blizzard for over 12 years leading the World of Warcraft team, and it takes vision, creativity and unwavering commitment to excellence to sustain a community of players the way J. has for over a decade,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, in a press release today. “J. is an inspiring leader. He has shown unwavering commitment to our community, to innovation and creative excellence and he cares deeply about ensuring the very best of Blizzard culture will be protected.”

Morhaime will stay with the company as a stategic advisor, while one of the other Blizzard co-founders, Allen Adham and Chief Development Officer Ray Gresko will be joining the elexutive leadership team. 

“I am also excited," Kotick continued, "to have Allen Adham, Blizzard’s founder, who rejoined the company two years ago and Ray Gresko, Blizzard’s Chief Development Officer, join Blizzard’s executive leadership team. I have known both Allen and Ray for more than 25 years and they are two of the most capable entrepreneurs in the game industry. They will help make certain that inspiration and creativity remains the focus of Blizzard.”

Brack joined Blizzard in 2005 as a producer on World of Warcraft, slowly taking on more responsibility and becoming the Executive Producer. If anyone has their heart in the passion of making World of Warcraft, it's Brack. This motivation and drive towards Blizzard's games is likely the defining reason why he has taken on this new role.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to serve as Blizzard’s next president, and to lead one of the best entertainment companies in the world, thanks to the passion and dedication of our player community and employees,” said Brack, the newly-appointed president of Blizzard Entertainment. “Blizzard was founded on the promise of making great games, and I plan to continue this fierce commitment to quality, our community, and our purpose. I couldn’t be more excited about what’s next given the strength of our pipeline.”

Morhaime co-founded Blizzard as Silicon & Synapse, later named Blizzard, alongside Allen Adham and Frank Pierce in a small office in Irvine, California. Morhaime stepping down is the end of a dynasty. But, the new leadership under Activision Blizzard promises plenty of content to come. 

“Thanks to Mike Morhaime’s wonderful stewardship and masterful job of building a truly extraordinary team," Kotick said, "epic games and a global community of beloved players, Blizzard is one of the very best game companies in the world.”

“I want to thank all of the talented and hardworking people at Blizzard for their dedication," Morhaime said in the press release, "creativity and passion. It has been a privilege to lead this team. I’m also very grateful to Blizzard‘s player community for their support.”

Blizzard may be changing, but their esports is constnatly ramping up for newer and better things. And yet, players of Blizzard's game Overwatch apparently just want to stick to the same characters.