Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 delayed, Jen Oneal leaves Blizzard
Turnover at Blizzard’s leadership, as the company’s games are being pushed further out.
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What you need to know
Activision Blizzardsharedits Q3 2021 financial results on Tuesday. Alongside the financial results came the news that two major upcoming titles from Blizzard Entertainment, action role-playing gameDiablo 4and hero shooterOverwatch 2, are both being delayed further than originally planned. This decision was made in order to give extra time for development and “…continue growing their creative resources.”
Additionally, former Vicarious Visions head Jen Oneal is leaving Blizzard Entertainment at the end of 2021, with the company is now being led solely by Mike Ybarra. Oneal was promoted to co-lead Blizzard Entertainment following the departure of J. Allen Brack earlier in 2021 as a result of the ongoinglawsuit against Activision Blizzard. Oneal stated in a separatepostthat she’s leaving Blizzard Entertainment to try and have a “broader industry impact” on diversity in the gaming industry.
Ybarra added during the accompanying conference call that part of the reason Diablo 4 and Overwatch 2 are being delayed is because of leadership changes on the development teams. Vicarious Visions was moved under Blizzard Entertainment earlier in 2021. The company is alsoreportedly being renamed, though Blizzard has not confirmed this report.
Activision Blizzard’s next major game launch isCall of Duty: Vanguard, which is set to launch on Nov. 5, 2021.
CEO Bobby Kotick noted during the call that “I want Activision Blizzard to be the leader in this country for workplace culture” while again admitting that the company should’ve done “a better job.”
Activision Blizzard reported net bookings of $1.88 billion for the quarter, beating expectations, as compared to $1.77 billion in Q3 2020.
The easy choice
If you intend to play on Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S, this is the version of the game to grab. You’ll want it to look and run as good as possible, which does mean it’ll be a bit more expensive.
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Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
