Overwatch executive producer is leaving Blizzard
The announcement comes just a few days before this weekend's Overwatch League Grand Finals.
Blizzard is losing yet another top executive, according to a new Bloomberg report, which says that Overwatch executive producer Chacko Sonny will leave the company on Friday.
Sonny's departure was announced to staff via email in which new Blizzard co-chiefs Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra described him as "a thoughtful leader." Sonny said in the email that it "has been an absolute privilege" to work at Blizzard, describing his time there as "one of the best experiences of my career."
The resignation comes amidst high-profile allegations of widespread sexual harassment and misconduct at Activision Blizzard, which have resulted in a Department of Fair Employment and Housing lawsuit, a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, and most recently the launch of an SEC investigation into its handling of complaints of workplace abuse. Multiple sources told Bloomberg that Sonny was a well-respected figure, however, and said that they aren't aware of any allegations of misconduct against him.
Sonny wasn't as high-profile a figure as former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan, who left Blizzard earlier this year, but he served as executive producer on the series for three years, and was production director for two years prior to that. With Overwatch 2 slowly creeping closer—there's still no release date, but a gameplay showcase will take place this weekend at the Overwatch League Grand Finals—the timing does not appear great, but Blizzard attempted to dispel any worries in an email sent to PC Gamer confirming Sonny's departure.
"Chacko Sonny is leaving Blizzard to take some time off after 5 years of service," a Blizzard representative said. "The deep, talented Overwatch team is making excellent progress on Overwatch 2, and thanks to their hard work, the game is in the final stages of production. We’ll be sharing more at the Overwatch League Grand Finals later this month."
His resignation comes less than 24 hours after Blizzard chief legal officer Claire Hart announced that she was leaving the company after three years of service.