Overwatch 2 Exec Leaves Blizzard

I won’t run down the entire recent history of Activision-Blizzard’s woes today. I did a majority of that yesterday when CEO Bobby Kotick and several other executives were subpoenaed in a federal investigation. However, I will repeat that it has not been the easiest of times for the publisher/developer of the Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch franchises.

According to Jason Schreier for Bloomberg, the somewhat tepidly anticipated Overwatch 2 just saw one of its leading figures depart the company. Chacko Sonny, Overwatch 2 executive producer, is leaving after five years at Activision-Blizzard. In a statement provided to Polygon, he intends to “take some time off.” In no public announcement or report online is it said why Sonny is leaving the company. However, as Schreier notes, it is once more a high-level employee exiting the company amid the series of allegations levied towards Activision-Blizzard. Once again, it was only yesterday we reported that former SVP of Legal at Activision-Blizzard, Claire Hart, left her post on Friday.

In an email that Bloomberg has reviewed, new Blizzard co-presidents following J Allen Brack’s departure, Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra noted that Sonny was “a thoughtful leader.” They went on to say they were grateful for his service at the company. Also (according to Bloomberg) Sonny didn’t mention any of the recent events in his internal email. Though he did say that working at Blizzard “has been an absolute privilege and one of the best experiences of my career.”

At this time, there is no word on who will be replacing Sonny in his position. However, in the statement provided to Polygon on Sonny’s departure, an Activision-Blizzard spokesperson 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.” Those grand finals take place this weekend on the 25th of September. With fewer sponsors attached to the Overwatch League this year and their return uncertain for next year, it shall be interesting.