Former Call of Duty GM Johanna Faries Appointed New President of Blizzard - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 01 February 2024 / 2,602 Views
Blizzard Entertainment announced the former Call of Duty general manager, Johanna Faries, has been appointed as the new president of the company. This follows the departure of former president Mike Ybarra last week.
"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," said Faries in an email sent to Blizzard employees. "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 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."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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Strange...
Blizzard has always had a certain level of independence from Activision, and Blizzard's leaders were people from within the studios.
Now a person who used to deal with Call of Duty becomes president of Blizzard. This person worked on different products and games, choosing someone from Blizzard's internal group would have been more logical, imo...
She was a Blizzard employee actually. She worked as head of e-sports for Overwatch. Not sure if she had that position at the same time as being GM for CoD at Activision though.
Someone with five years of experience in the industry appointed as president of Blizzard. A well laid plan.
Appointing someone with lesser experience is not always a bad thing...
Especially in an industry that goes through "waves" of popularity on certain things.
Go back to the mid-90's and RTS was all the rage with a new game almost every week... Early 2000's it became the RPG, then 2010's it was the open world.
And now it is battle royal.
It just takes someone to be different to mix up the same-old.
Well Call of Duty has been more profitable than Overwatch, and I guess that's what these companies strive for the most. But hopefully it results in more positive decisions for the gamers as well.
Why repeat the whole BS press release. That's just being a vessel for spreading propaganda.
Did Xbox have ANYTHING to do with this decision? is she a gamer? What is her history in helping developers get the best game released available ? and so much more.
this is where the fun begins
