‘Diablo’ and ‘World of Warcraft’ leaders depart Blizzard

“We have a deep, talented roster of developers already in place and new leaders have been assigned where appropriate. We are confident in our ability to continue progress, deliver amazing experiences to our players, and move forward to ensure a safe, productive work environment for all,” a spokesman with parent company Activision Blizzard told The Washington Post.

In a companywide email, new Blizzard co-leaders Mike Ybarra and Jen Oneal wrote to staff Wednesday afternoon: “We wanted to let you know several employees across two game teams are no longer with the company. New leaders are in place and we are confident in our ability to continue progress and deliver amazing experiences to our players. Those teams have been informed and are moving forward to ensure a safe, productive environment for all.”

The company did not explain why Barriga, McCree and LeCraft are no longer employed, but several current employees confirmed to The Washington Post that all three were fired. McCree and LeCraft were photographed in a hotel room at the company’s 2013 convention, BlizzCon, alongside Alex Afrasiabi, who was terminated in June of 2020 over multiple allegations. The hotel room in the photograph was referenced by Blizzard employees as the "Cosby Suite,” according to the lawsuit, in reference to former comedian Bill Cosby, whose conviction for sexual assault was recently overturned.

The lawsuit against Activision Blizzard was filed by the state of California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing on July 20.

“I’m glad that the company finally has started to do something about its problems," a current Blizzard employee told The Post on the condition of anonymity since they were unauthorized to speak to the media. “This is only a first step, though. My faith hasn’t been won back because there are many bad players who are still around. The problems won’t be fixed until those people are dealt with as well.”

The employee added that they expect the projects on which Barriga, McCree and LeCraft were working to proceed apace.

“For now, I think the projects will be fine," the employee said. "'Diablo 4′ already filled the game director position and will fill in the lead position quickly as well. [In 2019, former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack] once called the ['Diablo 4′] project ‘mission critical.’ So there will be very little which gets in the way of its release.”

These recent moves come in the wake of Brack stepping down as the company’s president on Aug. 3, the same day the company confirmed a report of the departure of Jesse Meschuk, a longtime leader in Blizzard’s human resources department.