blizzard J. Allen Brack Is the New President of Blizzard Entertainment

[Starym 3,775]

 

In somewhat surprising news, Mike Morhaime has stepped down as President of Blizzard Entertainment and World of Warcraft Executive Producer J. Allen Brack is stepping in to fill those massive shoes. Morhaime will stay on as a "strategic advisor" for the company and Blizzard founder Allen Adham as well as Chief Development Officer Ray Gresko have been promoted to Blizzard’s Check executive leadership team.

Check out the full press release below and the two statements from Morhaime and Brack below:

Mike Morhaime (source)

FROM MIKE MORHAIME

Dear Members of the Blizzard Community,

When Blizzard’s founder Allen Adham first invited me to join him in creating Silicon & Synapse (our original name), nothing could have prepared me for the amazing adventure that we would share for the next 27 years. Our original mission and values consisted of four simple words that formed our foundation: “We make great games.” We crafted that statement before we had even released our first game, but we were committed to living up to it.

After many years of working with some of the industry’s most talented people to create games and worlds for you to play in, I’ve decided it’s time for someone else to lead Blizzard Entertainment. I will now serve as an advisor to the company I so love and admire. My duties as president of Blizzard will be assumed by my friend, colleague, trusted advisor, and longtime steward of World of Warcraft, J. Allen Brack.

J. is an inspiring leader who has shown unwavering commitment to Blizzard’s community in his 12 years with the company. His leadership on World of Warcraft leveraged his vision, creativity, and commitment to quality, and together with the rest of the dev team helped deliver an experience that is unprecedented in our industry. I couldn’t be happier for J. and know that Blizzard will continue to make great games with him at the helm. 

I am grateful to all of the hardworking and talented people at Blizzard for their dedication and creativity. Their belief in our mission and care for our players has helped Blizzard reach greater heights than I ever could have imagined.

I am also grateful to all of you in the community. We have been through so much together. Not only have you been with me through many of the greatest moments and biggest triumphs of my life, but you have also been there through some of the most difficult. I am fortunate to have been able to meet many of you in person, while the many messages, emails, Tweets, Reddit discussions, and forum posts have provided an unbelievable connection as well. Even Twitch chat. It has always brought me joy, comfort, and inspiration to see the beacons of brilliance, voices of reason, and the passion that exists and evolves every day in all of our communities. 

When we started Blizzard we just wanted to make great games. What we realized is that the games we create are really just a framework for communities and human interaction. When we look back, what we often find that’s most lasting and meaningful from our experiences in games are the relationships we create and foster. You have given me the inspiration and drive to pour my heart and life into what I do. I literally couldn’t have done any of it without you. We have created these worlds, but you have given them life, through your passion, fan art, cosplay, videos, and in so many other ways. 

 

I truly believe that this amazing community has the potential to be a shining light to the rest of the industry by setting a positive example of inclusivity, tolerance, and acceptance toward others. In the words of one of Blizzard’s core values: remember to always play nice; play fair. I know this community is capable of changing the world.

It has been an honor to serve this community for over 27 years, and I thank you for your many years of support. I look forward to being a member of the community alongside you. See you on Battle.net!

Your fellow Blizzard gamer,

Mike Morhaime

 

  

J. Allen Brack (source)

FROM J. ALLEN BRACK

Blizzard community,

Today has been a swirl of emotions. First, I feel a deep sense of gratitude to Mike. His work on some of our industry’s most iconic games is the reason I came to Blizzard. Not only is he an inspiring leader, but he’s also been a wise and patient mentor to me during my time at Blizzard. And he’s been a good friend. Joining the World of Warcraft team and my favorite game company nearly 13 years ago was an unimaginable dream. Now, to be chosen to lead Blizzard into the future is both a huge honor, and a tremendous responsibility.

To do that, I’ll have the help of dedicated and talented Blizzard employees around the world who all share the same mission we have always pursued—to connect and engage the world through the most epic entertainment experiences, ever. Each of us is influenced by Blizzard’s values and a player-first mindset, which serve as the foundation of our company. With these beliefs at the core of everything we do, we’ve been able to deliver great games across different genres and platforms. And there is more to come—we’re working on more games now than at any point in Blizzard’s history.

As I transition from leading a development team to the entire company, I’ll also have the support of our team of experienced leaders at Blizzard. I’m pleased to announce two additions to our executive leadership team who will be instrumental as we move forward. Ray Gresko, a 10-year veteran of Blizzard who helped create both Overwatch and Diablo III, is now our chief development officer. Allen Adham, Blizzard’s original founder and lead designer of World of Warcraft, will join the executive team while continuing to oversee development of several new games. The knowledge and experience that Ray and Allen bring, in addition to the talent already on the leadership team, will be indispensable in helping move Blizzard into the future.

One thing that won’t change going forward—our deeply held commitments that are core to who we are as a company: to gameplay first, to quality in everything we do, and to listening to and partnering with our community. BlizzCon, the IRL representation of our connection with the community, is just a month away and it’s a time of the year that Blizzard employees look forward to the most. And as usual, we have a few surprises.

I want to close by thanking Mike for 27 years of amazing work: I am looking forward to your wisdom and guidance in your new role. And thank you for everything you’ve done to help create the company and the games we love.

 

J. Allen Brack

Press Release:

J. Allen Brack Appointed President of Blizzard (source)

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced the appointment of Blizzard veteran and World of Warcraft® Executive Producer J. Allen Brack as the new president of Blizzard Entertainment succeeding Mike Morhaime, who will remain a strategic advisor to the company. The company also announced the appointments of Chief Development Officer Ray Gresko and Blizzard Founder Allen Adham to Blizzard’s executive leadership team.

“J. has been with Blizzard for over 12 years leading the World of Warcraft team, and it takes vision, creativity and unwavering commitment to excellence to sustain a community of players the way J. has for over a decade,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “J. is an inspiring leader. He has shown unwavering commitment to our community, to innovation and creative excellence and he cares deeply about ensuring the very best of Blizzard culture will be protected.”

“I am also excited to have Allen Adham, Blizzard’s founder, who rejoined the company two years ago and Ray Gresko, Blizzard’s Chief Development Officer, join Blizzard’s executive leadership team. I have known both Allen and Ray for more than 25 years and they are two of the most capable entrepreneurs in the game industry. They will help make certain that inspiration and creativity remains the focus of Blizzard,” said Kotick.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to serve as Blizzard’s next president, and to lead one of the best entertainment companies in the world, thanks to the passion and dedication of our player community and employees,” said J. Allen Brack, president, Blizzard Entertainment. “Blizzard was founded on the promise of making great games, and I plan to continue this fierce commitment to quality, our community, and our purpose. I couldn’t be more excited about what’s next given the strength of our pipeline.”

“Thanks to Mike Morhaime’s wonderful stewardship and masterful job of building a truly extraordinary team, epic games and a global community of beloved players, Blizzard is one of the very best game companies in the world,” Kotick added.

“I want to thank all of the talented and hardworking people at Blizzard for their dedication, creativity and passion. It has been a privilege to lead this team. I’m also very grateful to Blizzard‘s player community for their support,” said Mike Morhaime.

About J. Allen Brack

J. Allen Brack is a seasoned game industry veteran bringing nearly 24 years’ experience to this new role. As president of Blizzard Entertainment, Brack is dedicated to maintaining the high standard of quality that has propelled Blizzard to become an internationally recognized leader in interactive entertainment. Most recently, Brack served as executive producer and senior vice president for World of Warcraft, the #1 subscription-based MMORPG in the world. Throughout his twelve years at Blizzard, World of Warcraft has captivated millions of players worldwide and received a steady stream of high-quality content updates, including multiple expansions that rank among the fastest-selling PC games of all time. Prior to joining Blizzard, Brack held multiple roles at Origin Systems, Inc., working on the Wing Commander franchise, and then at Sony Online Entertainment LLC working on Star Wars Galaxies.

About Ray Gresko

As chief development officer, Ray Gresko will oversee ongoing product development efforts across Blizzard’s iconic franchises, to ensure that the company delivers a consistent high-quality experience across its games. Gresko, a 26-year industry veteran, most recently held the role of executive producer for Overwatch, leading the development team through the creation of a brand-new Blizzard franchise and helping launch the game to critical acclaim. Gresko joined Blizzard in 2008 as production director on Diablo III. Previously, Gresko worked on multiple highly regarded LucasArts titles, co-founded and managed Nihilistic Software, and was director of production and studio design director for Stormfront Studios.

About Allen Adham

As executive producer, senior vice president, and founder of Blizzard Entertainment, Allen Adham is responsible for supporting some of the company’s initiatives around new product incubation. In this role, he serves on Blizzard’s executive team and helps shepherd the company’s vision for the future while setting goals and strategies that support Blizzard’s dedication to creating the most epic entertainment experiences ever. In February 1991, Allen co-founded Blizzard Entertainment with Mike Morhaime and Frank Pearce, serving as the company’s first president and later chairman. He provided executive leadership on the company’s first games, helping to build the industry-leading Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo entertainment universes. This included overseeing the creation of World of Warcraft and serving as the game’s lead designer from inception through its first five years of development.

Brack will succeed Mike Morhaime who is staying on as a strategic advisor.

[Alkasar 55]

What a moment of surprise. I hope to see a last speech of Morhaime at Blizzcon if he doesn't start the opening ceremony.

[Daswubwub 1]

Warcraft guy in charge, let's get it!!!!!!

[Badadada 184]

Not sure if it's just a symbolic organizational change or something more serious, but I really loved Morhaime's openness and dedication towards the community. After all it's his own company - Blizzad = Morhaime (and a few others).
As for J. Allen Brack, I don't know much about him, because whenever he gets interviewed he's always trying to keep it as professional as possible and pulls on his poker face. Last time I heard him speak his mind was when he said you think you do - but you don't. But I guess in a position like this it's more important to be on a good term with your colleagues then with the players, so if they approve him, so do I.

[Androski 5]

This'll be a scary transition, but hopefully, it'll be a positive change.

[benOwar 20]

First Metzen, and now Morhaime. It hurts getting old and seeing the ppl who defined my childhood and a great part of my life retire, but on the other hand it may be a big opportunity and I'm sure J. will do a great job. Good luck to you J.

 

Thank you Mike, for EVERYTHING!!

[Arcling 870]

51 minutes ago, benOwar said:

First Metzen, and now Morhaime.

He didn't leave company like Metzen though. Morhaime stays as advisor, and it seems he will be working closely with new president, who isn't really a new person at Blizzard.

Edited October 4, 2018 by Arcling

[benOwar 20]

33 minutes ago, Arcling said:

He didn't leave company like Metzen though. Morhaime stays as advisor, and it seems he will be working closely with new president, who isn't really a new person at Blizzard.

 

I know, but still is probably going to work behind the scenes and leave the most of the work to the new president to make the shift as smooth as possible. I think his retirement is just a matter of time which, of course, is more than well earned.

[Abom 31]

Time for some Vitamin D, Mike! ?

[Veremor 2]

Thank you, Mike! Your work redefined game industry: it gave an example of well-crafted games, with a level of quality that is very rarely, if not never, equaled. Maybe one day the same care for quality and community will spread in the game industry, but it seems that for many years to come Blizzard will remain alone in pushing forward the flag of quality. Blizzard inspired me in a tremendous way: I'm thrilled when I see insight videos that show the process of making games: those videos made me experience Blizzard games in a much deeper way: I can feel the passion and commitment of the developers, I realize how those bits in my hard disk are a work of love, a piece of true art and true engineering. Thank you for having inspired me and other millions of players rather than publishing unpolished games for easy revenue like many other publishers do.

[Guest]

20 hours ago, Veremor said:

Thank you, Mike! Your work redefined game industry: it gave an example of well-crafted games, with a level of quality that is very rarely, if not never, equaled. Maybe one day the same care for quality and community will spread in the game industry, but it seems that for many years to come Blizzard will remain alone in pushing forward the flag of quality. Blizzard inspired me in a tremendous way: I'm thrilled when I see insight videos that show the process of making games: those videos made me experience Blizzard games in a much deeper way: I can feel the passion and commitment of the developers, I realize how those bits in my hard disk are a work of love, a piece of true art and true engineering. Thank you for having inspired me and other millions of players rather than publishing unpolished games for easy revenue like many other publishers do.

Requires your empolyment contract with Blizzard such a post?

[MFG 0]

I read somewhere that Mike has a net worth of 1.8 Billion because of Blizzard, I know it's doing insanely well financially but that is next level.