Another high-profile member within Blizzard Entertainment is exiting the company amidst the continuing allegations against Activision Blizzard. Bloomberg has reported that Chacko Sonny, who served as the executive producer of the Overwatch franchise and was part of the team working on Overwatch 2, is leaving Blizzard on Friday.
Sonny was seen as a stable lead among the staff of the Overwatch team, especially after the game’s director Jeff Kaplan left in April. After Kaplan left, Blizzard veteran Aaron Keller took over directing duties for Overwatch 2. Other than Sonny and Kaplan, Activision Blizzard has seen several key members leave or step down. Blizzard president J. Allen Brack stepped down in August, while head of HR Jesse Meschuk left Activision Blizzard the same month.
The company faces allegations of having a “frat boy” workplace, with multiple employees accusing the company of gender discrimination. On July 20, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (CDFH) filed a lawsuit against the company for its accused discrimination and poor workplace practices.
To further add to the controversy, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also hit Activision with a subpoena, which includes CEO Bobby Kotick. The SEC is investigating the company’s handling of sexual allegations and discrimination in the workplace. As part of the subpoena, the SEC requested communication logs from Kotick and other senior executives within the company.
It isn’t known if the current investigations and lawsuits against Activision Blizzard have anything to do with Chacko Sonny’s departure. We also don’t currently know where Sonny is heading next.
Published: Sep 21, 2021 04:44 pm