Blizzard President and CEO Mike Morhaime is Stepping Down

Blizzard Entertainment has announced that Mike Morhaime will step down as President and CEO of the company he helped co-found in 1991. Morhaime served in the position for 20 years, and was instrumental in building Blizzard into the massively successful and respected studio that it is today. The company also revealed that J. Allen Brack, the longtime executive producer of World of Warcraft, will succeed Morhaime as President.

“I am grateful to all of the hardworking and talented people at Blizzard for their dedication and creativity. Their belief in our mission and care for our players has helped Blizzard reach greater heights than I ever could have imagined,” said Morhaime in a statement, who will continue to work with Blizzard in an advisory role.

In a separate statement, Brack said that he’ll “have the help of dedicated and talented Blizzard employees around the world who all share the same mission we have always pursued—to connect and engage the world through the most epic entertainment experiences, ever.” To assist Brack in his new role, Blizzard also announced that studio veteran Ray Gresko will serve as the company’s new Chief Development Officer. Blizzard co-founder Allen Adham, who recently returned to the studio after a 12-year absence, has also been promoted to an unspecified executive position.

The change in leadership at Blizzard comes during a very busy time for the company. World of Warcraft is still performing well, and its newest expansion, Battle for Azeroth, is the fastest-selling expansion in the 14-year history of the game. The studio is also reaping the rewards of Overwatch, which was Blizzard’s first new franchise in 18 years when it launched in 2016. The hero shooter has 40 million players, and the Overwatch League will be adding nine new teams for the 2019 season.

We will hear more about the future of Blizzard in about a month at BlizzCon, which takes place on November 2-3 in Anaheim, California. In the statement regarding his promotion, Brack mentioned that the studio has “a few suprises” in store for the event.