• by Colin Kirkland , January 29, 2024

Game developer Blizzard Entertainment has hired Johanna Faries as its first president since the studio's parent company, Activision Blizzard Inc., was purchased by Microsoft Corp. last year for $69 billion, in what became the industry's largest deal to date.

Faries is not new to Blizzard. The company's newest president is moving over from Activision, where she has held the position of GM for the popular video game franchise Call of Duty since 2021.

Prior to joining Activision in 2018 as a Call of Duty esports commissioner, Faries spent almost 12 years at The National Football League, where she held roles as VP of marketing development and fan strategy, as well as vice president of club business development.

Faries' appointment comes during a tumultuous period at Blizzard. Last week, Microsoft laid off 1,900 people across its video-game divisions, including at Activision Blizzard. The cuts made up about 8% of Microsoft's 22,000 gaming workers.

On the same day Microsoft announced this newest wave of layoffs, Blizzard's former president Mike Ybarra announced his departure effective immediately.

Ybarra had spent over 20 years at Microsoft and saw the recent acquisition through, which ended up being a two-year-long process.

“Today also brings some mixed emotions,” Faries wrote in an email to Blizzard employees on Monday. “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.”

Faries will officially begin her position as president of Blizzard on February 5.