Tag Archives: Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard Introduces Johanna Faries As The New President Of Blizzard Entertainment

Gaming

Blizzard Entertainment posted an email that was delivered to Blizzard employees by Johanna Faries, the new President of Blizzard Entertainment.

“Dear Blizzard,

Though my official first day with you all is February 5, I want to let you know immediately that it is an honor to join you next week in this new capacity. I do so humbly and in awe of all that Blizzard has stood for and delivered to the world for over thirty years. Today also brings some mixed emotions. The loss of talented teammates in recent days is hard to hold side-by-side with the immense excitement I feel about joining Blizzard – and building on the momentum you’ve created for Blizzard’s next chapter.

I want to thank Matt for the introduction, bring some further clarity to today’s announcement, and share more about how I see our future together at Blizzard. I understand this is a lot to take in. The news of my appointment may no doubt bring up a range of reactions, questions, or even concerns.

Activision, Blizzard and King are decidedly different companies with distinct games, cultures, and communities. It is important to note the Call of Duty’s way of waking up in the morning to deliver for players can often differ from the stunning games in Blizzard’s realm: each with different gameplay experiences, communities that surround them, and requisite models of success. I’ve discussed this with the Blizzard leadership team and I’m walking into this role with sensitivity to those dynamics, and deep respect for Blizzard, as we begin to explore taking our universes to even higher heights.

I am committed to doing everything I can to help Blizzard thrive, with care and consideration for you and our games, each unique and special in their own right. I’m optimistic about our ability to serve our current and future player communities and to further amplify the shared passion for greatness, polish, and creative mastery that is a hallmark of Blizzard’s approach to gaming…

…A few personal facts about me: my #1 job in life is raising two amazing boys. In addition to parenthood, a typical week for me includes finding time for daily yoga and prayer, and of course, playing video games (big Diablo IV fan over here!). Throughout, the joy I find in video games – and working with those who make them – only deepens…”

PCMag reported that Microsoft-owned game publisher Blizzard Entertainment has announced that Johanna Faries will be its new president, effective Feb, 5.

Faries’ announcement comes just days after Microsoft laid off 1,900 employees across its gaming businesses, affecting staff at Activision Blizzard, Xbox, and Zenimax, home to Bethesda Softworks, MachineGames and Arcane Studios. Former President Mike Ybarra also shared on X that he was leaving his role.

Prior to stepping up at Blizzard, Faries was at Activision as its general manager for the studios first-person shooter franchise Call of Duty. Faries also spent 11 years at the National Football League (NFL) on its business development, marketing, and licensing teams.

In my opinion, it is good that Blizzard has selected a new president, especially since former president Mike Ybarra has left the company. Johanna Faries appears to be a great choice, considering she previously was   was involved with Call of Duty.

Blizzard President On The “New Era” Under Xbox

Gaming,

The dust is finally starting to settle from Microsoft’s huge acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but even Blizzard president Mike Ybarra still isn’t exactly sure how things will change for the company, The Verge reported. “I literally haven’t sat down with [Microsoft Gaming CEO] Phil [Spencer] and said, “So, what does all this mean?” Ybarra tells The Verge in an interview.

Ybarra doesn’t seem worried, though. As part of his opening remarks at Friday’s BlizzCon 2023 keynote, Ybarra said that the show as the start of a “new era” for the company.

“I think the way [Spencer] approaches building teams and focusing on culture and enabling creative freedom is going to give Blizzard a lot more of that sense of being an independent studio than ever before,” Ybarra says. “That’s what I really mean when I talk about a new era of possibilities, of empowerment, of serving players even better than we ever have.” (It probably also helps that Ybarra worked for Spencer for eight years before joining Blizzard.)

Right now, things are “pretty much business as usual,” Ybarra says. Spencer and his team visited Blizzard recently, but “it was more about just meeting people,” Ybarra says. “They didn’t want to talk about business.” It seems like that means any Microsoft-driven changes might be a little ways out: Spencer has already said not to expect any Activision Blizzard games on Xbox Game Pass until 2024, for example.

Video Games Chronicle reported that the Xbox maker completed its $69 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard last month, in the process of taking ownership of franchises including World of Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch.

Discussing the idea with The Verge, Ybarra said he thinks Blizzard will be afforded more freedom that has previously been the case.

Ybarra, who joined Blizzard in 2019 following almost 20 years at Microsoft was joined by Spencer on stage during BlizzCon’s opening ceremony last week.

Microsoft’s head of gaming, who recently visited the Warcraft studio with Xbox’s leadership team to meet employees, proclaimed “the future of Blizzard is brighter than ever” during last week’s fan convention.

“Blizzard’s influence is everywhere, and because of its enduring legacy and phenomenal, revolutionary development, with a care and a craft that is incredibly rare in this industry,” he said.

“Our commitment at Xbox is to bring more great games to more players, in more places. And now that Blizzard is part of Xbox, we will nurture the essence of what has made Blizzard unique.

“We are going to empower our new colleagues in a culture of trust, inclusion, and collaboration, to continue what they do best: redefining existing genres, creating new, never before seen experiences, and uniting players globally in new ways – in Azeroth, in Sanctuary, in near-future Earth, and beyond.”

I didn’t go to BlizzCon this year, but I was able to watch some of the panels online. It sounds like Blizzard gaming and Xbox are going to be a good match. I’m looking forward to seeing what this merger will do for both companies.

Diablo III: Eternal Collection is Coming to Nintendo Switch

Gaming, ,

It’s official! Diablo III: Eternal Collection is coming to Nintendo Switch. It will be released in Fall of 2018, but you can pre-order it now.

The Diablo III: Eternal Collection includes the Diablo III game, the Reaper of Souls expansion, and the Rise of the Necromancer pack. Players can choose from 7 classes, play through 5 acts, and receive some Nintendo Switch Exclusives that are not accessible in any other version of the game.

Jump into local, action-RPG multiplayer with up to three friends, and crush demons from your comfiest couch cushions, no internet required – or fill out the ranks of your party online. You can play Diablo III shared-screen on a single Switch, remotely on up to four Switches, or combine TV and handheld play.

Pre-Purchase comes with:

Ganondorf Transmogrification Set – Lords of Hell, meet the King (or Queen) of Evil.

Switch-Exclusive Cosmetics – Cucco Pet and Triforce Portrait Frame, plus the Echoes of the Mask Wings

All Diablo III Game Releases – The Eternal Collection includes Diablo III, Reaper of Souls, and Rise of the Necromancer.

Local and Remote Multiplayer – Up to 4 players (remote requires Nintendo Switch Online)

The verified Diablo Twitter account provided some additional information in the form of a video.

The Diablo Twitter account responded to some of the questions that were asked as a reply to the above tweet. The additional information from the Diablo Twitter account confirmed that “Seasons will work similar to how they do on other platforms.”, and that players on Nintendo Switch will “be able to play offline solo and local co-op.”

Blizzard Added a Third BlizzCon Ticket Sale

Gaming,

Blizzard Entertainment held two ticket sales for BlizzCon 2018, on different dates, earlier this year. As always, those tickets sold out incredibly quickly. If you missed out on the first two ticket sales, there’s a chance you will have better luck with a newly added third ticket sale.

Hoping to attend BlizzCon in person this year, but didn’t manage to snag a ticket during the first two sales? You’re in luck – we’re thrilled to announce a third ticket sale, scheduled for Saturday, August 18 at 10 a.m. PDT.

The third ticket sale will be hosted by Universe.com. Tickets are priced at $199 each (plus applicable taxes and fees.) This third ticket sale will work just like the previous two. Blizzard recommends that you check out the BlizzCon Ticket Page and a Badge Information page for more details.

BlizzCon 2018 will take November 2 and 3 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.

If this third round of tickets sell out before you were able to buy one, there is another option. There is a BlizzCon Virtual Ticket that will provide live streaming coverage to viewers around the world. Blizzard has not yet released specific details about what, exactly, will be streamed.

World of Warcraft Welcome Back Weekend

Gaming,

Blizzard Entertainment is doing a World of Warcraft Welcome Back Weekend. Players who have inactive accounts can play World of Warcraft for free for a limited time. It’s a nice way to get players back into the game before the new Battle for Azeroth expansion arrives in August.

Battle for Azeroth is approaching fast, and everyone is needed back on the front lines. This weekend, we’re upgrading all inactive World of Warcraft accounts to grant returning players full access to the game and all of their characters – without a subscription – through June 24.

In the blog post, there is an asterisk next to the word “game”. Players are responsible for any online connection fees. Game access will be granted at the last expansion the player purchased, or the Warlords of Draenor expansion, whichever is greater.

This is interesting, because Warlords of Draenor is not the newest expansion. The most recent one is Legion, which will not be provided for players who have inactive accounts and who play for free this weekend.

This might be problematic for players whose old friends and guildmates stayed active and who finished the Warlords of Draenor content quite a while ago. They could still play together, but would have to do it in what some would consider old content.

In addition, Blizzard Entertainment is offering 25% off select game services. This includes:

  • Appearance Change
  • Character Transfer
  • Faction Change
  • Name Change
  • Race Change
  • Character Transfer / Faction Change Combo

The offer does not include a discount on Guild Services, WoW Token, Character Boost, pets, mounts, or transmog items.

Blizzard Steps Up Abusive Chat Penalties in Heroes of the Storm

Gaming,

Blizzard Entertainment, creator of Heroes of the Storm, announced they will be rolling out improvements to their reporting system for abusive chat. They will be changing the way they penalize repeat offenders by increasing the severity of the actions they take against their accounts.

Currently, players in Heroes of the Storm who are regularly reported for abusive chat incur a silence penalty that restricts them from chatting in-game and prevents them from playing Hero League for the penalty’s duration. Additional offenses result in increasingly longer silence penalty durations.

Blizzard feels that, in some cases, “silence penalties alone aren’t enough for repeat offenders to see the error in their ways and correct their behavior.”

As a result, we’re going to greatly reduce the number of silence penalties we apply to repeat offenders’ accounts. Instead, a player who returns to abusive behavior after their initial silences expire will begin incurring account suspensions. These suspensions will quickly ramp-up in duration and prevent them from playing Heroes of the Storm entirely. Players who prove they are incapable of – or unwilling to – improve their behavior after being warned, silenced, and suspended enough times will be permanently banned from the game.

In addition, Blizzard has already started implementing machine learning technology that further enhances their ability to validate and empower accurate player reports. They believe it has proven successful so far, and they plan to continue leveling-up and expanding their report validation process going forward.

Battle for Azeroth Expansion to Launch Worldwide Simultaneously

Gaming, ,

Blizzard Entertainment, creator of World of Warcraft, announced in April that the newest expansion would go live on August 14, 2018. They recently announced that it would launch worldwide simultaneously.

The decision to have a global launch of the Battle for Azeroth expansion could work really well, and allow all players to engage in the new content right away. Or it could turn out to be a glitchy, laggy disaster. Players will just have to wait and see how it goes.

For the first time in World of Warcraft, the next expansion – Battle for Azeroth – will launch in the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, and Australia/New Zealand at the same time. Wherever you live and whatever faction you fight for, you can be part of one globally united front as the battle for Azeroth begins.

Blizzard Entertainment has a map on the page where the announcement was made that shows what time World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth will go live around the world. The same information is also presented in a list. There is also a countdown that shows you that days, hours, minutes, and seconds left before the global release will happen.

Battle for Azeroth will launch:

Americas – August 13, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. PDT. The reason it is being launched slightly ahead of August 14 (in local time) is to align with the other regions.

Europe – August 14, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. CEST

Taiwan – August 14, 2018, at 6:00 a.m. CST

Korea – August 14, 2018, at 7:00 a.m. KST

Australia / New Zealand – August 14, 2018, at 8:00 a.m. AEST

UTC – August 13, 2018, at 10:00 p.m. UTC