Activision Blizzard announced today that both Overwatch 2 and Diablo 4 will be delayed beyoꦆnd their expected release date in 2022.
The delays were revealed during a third-quarter earnings report held today. The company, which recently settled an EEOC lawsuit for sexual discrimination, explained that the delays are largely due to changes in leadership. Joe Shely replaced Luis Barriga as director of Diablo 4 last month. They were seemingly ousted from the company along with more than 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:20 other employees in connection with♕ reports of workplace misconduct, accordi✃ng to a letter written by CCO Frances Townsend. Chacko Sonny, the executive producer of Overwatcher 2, left the company in September, while director Jeff Kaplan left back in April.
"While we arဣe still planning to deliver a substantial amount of content from Blizzard next year, we are now planning for a later launch for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV than originally envisaged," the company said. No releas♋e window was provided, but the phrasing would indicate that neither game is expected to launch in 2022.
Recently appointed Blizzard co-leader Jen Oneal also announced she is stepping down today, leaving Mike Ybarra as the sole leader of the company. The two were appointed to the position in August after President J. Allen Brack stepped down after it was revealed that the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing was suing Activision Blizzard. Later that month, Blizzard employees staged a walkout to protest the leadership's response to the lawsuit. Brack stepped down from his role as president just days later.
The lawsuit, which settled via the creation of an $18 million fund for employees that were unfairly treated by the company, continues to have ramifications for Activision Blizzard. Last week, CEO Boby Kotick pledged to reduce his salary to $62,500 as a message to employees that refo💞rm at the company is still ongoing. The letter included several commitments, including 🧜a new zero-tolerance harassment policy, an increase in diverse hiring, and the end of forced arbitration.
On Saturday, . Kotick has not yet🧔 officially responded t🅘o that request.