Diablo 4 Game Director Luis Barriga, Lead Designer Jesse McCree, and World of Warcraft Lead Game Designer Jonathan LeCraft are no longer working at Blizzard, parent company Activision Blizzard has confirmed today.
Although the company didn’t share the reasons behind their departures, they come come in the wake of a California lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and discrimination, which also saw Blizzard President J. Allen Brack stepping down.
“We can confirm Luis Barriga, Jesse McCree, and Jonathan LeCraft are no longer with the company,” an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told Kotaku.
Jesse McCree – the namesake for Overwatch’s popular cowboy hero – reportedly appeared in the now-infamous Cosby Suite image from BlizzCon 2013, alongside developer Alex Afrasiabi, who was silently let go from the company in 2020.
As news of the lawsuit became public, references to Afrasiabi were removed from World of Warcraft. Overwatch fans are also petitioning the company to rename McCree.
“We have a deep, talented roster of developers already in place and new leaders have been assigned where appropriate. We are confident in our ability to continue progress, deliver amazing experiences to our players, and move forward to ensure a safe, productive work environment for all,” Activision Blizzard’s statement reads.
Diablo 4 is currently in development for both PC and consoles with no set release date in sight. There’s no word yet on who will be replacing Barriga, who was a Blizzard veteran of 15 years.
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