Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
Mentioned in this article
- Frank Pearce, one of Blizzard Entertainment’s three co-founders, has announced his departure from the studio.
- Co-founder Michael Morhaime left in 2018, while Allen Adham remains as a senior vice president after returning in 2016.
- Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer left in May, while Blizzard’s global esports director Kim Phan followed in June.
Blizzard Entertainment 
co-founder Frank Pearce has left the company after 28 years, marking the latest high-profile departure from the Activision -owned studio.
Pearce announced the move via a blog post on Friday, writing that “the time has come for me to step away from Blizzard and pass the torch to the next generation of leaders.” He did not note any further work plans, but wrote that it was “time for me to reflect and be thoughtful about what comes next.”
Blizzard Entertainment was founded in 1991 by Pearce, Michael Morhaime, and Allen Adham. Morhaime departed in 2018, while Adham remains with the company as a senior vice president. Adham had previously departed for more than a decade before returning in 2016. Blizzard Entertainment is part of Activision Blizzard.
Related Article: Blizzard’s Global Esports Director the Latest to Exit Company
Pearce is the latest high-profile employee to leave the Overwatch and World of Warcraft developer in recent months. Overwatch League commissioner Nate Nanzer departed in May before joining Epic Games , while global esports director Kim Phan left in June.
In February, Activision Blizzard announced during its Q4 2018 earnings call that it would lay off about 800 employees, despite posting the company’s best-ever results. At the time, Blizzard Entertainment president J. Allen Brack said that the studio would reduce “non-development positions” in North America and regional offices. Activision Blizzard’s Q1 2019 earnings exceeded outlook, with the company citing esports as a revenue driver.
