Kotaku had reported that Diablo 4 Game Director Luis Barriga, Blizzard Lead Level Designer Jesse McCree, and World of Warcraft Designer Jonathan LeCraft have left Blizzard.
Following this news, Blizzard confirmed the information to GamesRadar. Blizzard Entertainment’s statement is as follows:
“We can confirm Luis Barriga, Jesse McCree, and Jonathan LeCraft are no longer with the company.”
“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.”
Activision Blizzard is currently busy with a lawsuit from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. The allegation states that female employees were constantly sexually harassed and that the company did not take “effective remedial measures” in response to the complaints. The lawsuit also includes an accusation of “frat boy” culture within the company.
Following this incident, Blizzard announced on August 3 that company president J. Allen Brack would resign and Jennifer O’Neal and Mike Ybarra would replace him.
Although no reason is given for the current resignations, we think that the resignations may be related to this case.