Blizzard Entertainment not doing very well, especially in the eyes of public opinion. Between various scandals and videogame disappointments, the company must make a considerable effort to rehabilitate its image and a first step would be taking it by hiring a new Vice Presidentwhich will also cover the role of “Head of Culture“.
The Vice President who has to save face at Blizzard Entertainment
The news came through the company’s official blog: Jessica Martinez, a 14-year veteran at Disney, will be responsible for “growing and implementing our cultural strategy, ensuring it aligns and functions across all teams, and renewing talent learning and development programs.” The published note does not fail to humanize the newcomer by emphasizing that she is good at skiing and that she is an animal lover.
In January, President Mike Ybarra announced that he had in mind a series of innovations aimed at regaining the trust of customers and investors, the hiring of Martinez seems to be part of these efforts. In fact, one month later, the new Vice President joins the advent of Kristen Hines, a person who has been entrusted with dealing with similar issues, namely the protection policies for diversity, equity and inclusion.
The sudden introduction of these roles seems to want to soften the pressures that have catalyzed the company due to the controversial figure of the CEO of Activision Blizzard, Bobby Kotick. The man is personally accused of defrauding investors and is in litigation with the New York pension fund. At the executive level, Kotick recently settled with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in a lawsuit accusing him of leading a corporate culture system based on machismo and harassment of women, yet he risks today. to earn an additional $ 22 million in bonuses today for meeting the “culture goals” set out in the strategic plan.
The Net reacted to the announcement with a mixture of hope and burning cynicism. Some are confident that Blizzard can return to its former glory, but others see the current situation as a corporate strategy whose sole purpose is to cover up the existing ugliness ahead of Microsoft’s takeover of the company.