Even more big names are leaving Activision Blizzard as the company continues to struggle with the lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and discrimination.
Among the names of people who have left Activision Blizzard are lead designer Jesse McCree, Diablo 4 game director Luis Barriga and World of Warcraft designer Jonathan LeCraft. The company has confirmed the departure of these employees but has not commented further. One possible reason could be the legal proceedings against the company that have been ongoing since July.
"We can confirm Luis Barriga, Jesse McCree, and Jonathan LeCraft are no longer with the company."
"We are confident in our ability to continue progress, deliver amazing experiences to our players, and move forward" – Hát persze. #Blizzard #DiabloIV #ErrőlEnnyit pic.twitter.com/UGq7CqdXnH
— ꏸhrιs (@ChrisGuru) August 12, 2021
McCree and LeCraft were both present in the so-called “Cosby Suite”, a hotel room during BlizzCon 2013 that featured alcoholic beverages and a picture of Bill Cosby. As screenshots of a group chat showed, several staff members wanted to invite attractive women into the suite and then made condescending comments about the plan. Luis Barriga had been a mainstay at Blizzard since 2006 and most recently worked on Diablo 4 as one of the executive team. It is still unclear whether his departure could have an impact on the game’s release date.
In a response to news portal Kotaku, Activision Blizzard gave a brief statement regarding the situation: “We have already assembled an extensive, talented team of developers and assigned new leadership where needed. We are confident that we will continue our progress, deliver amazing experiences to our players, and move forward to ensure a safe, productive work environment for all. “
