[Update] 03-06-2025 - A Blizzard spokesperson has reached out to TheGamer to clarify that Ybarra made “no reference” to any specific departments and that the company appreciates “the important roles our QA and CS teams play.” Original story follows.
Blizzard head Mike Ybarra has come under fire for allegedly making some tone-deaf comments during a company-wide Q&A session held via Zoom. Staff were reacting to the news thatwork-from-home measures would soon be endingand were also told their profit-sharing bonuses were being slashed to almost half the usual amount. Ybarra seems to have told staff that they can leave if they’re unhappy and also took a swipe at the QA departments, calling the role “not [a] long-term discipline”.
As reported byGame Developer, after employees voiced their frustration at their profit-sharing bonuses being cut despite strong performance from Blizzard, he responded, “If you think that executives are making a lot of money and you aren’t, you’re living in a myth.” While executive profit-sharing bonuses have also reportedly been cut to the same rate, they are on far higher salaries than those in the lower ranks of the company.
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Workers were also concerned about the push to return to offices, as many more recent hires took jobs on the basis that they would be remote, and don’t live in the high-cost areas around Blizzard. Ybarra apparently responded with words to the effect of, “At the end of the day we want people to be happy, and if decisions about being happy don’t align with where we’re going, and you won’t be happy, then you’ll have to do what will make [you] happy,” which sounds like he’s telling people to just quit.
In relation to QA and customer service departments at the company, for some reason, Ybarra reportedly said, “some of our disciplines are not long-term disciplines,” which also angered those on the call.
QA departments across the US games industry, but particularly at Activision Blizzard have beenfighting to unionise in order to collectively bargain for better working conditionsfor some time now. A movement that has been met withconsiderable hostility from ABK higher-ups.
Ybarra took over as co-leader alongside Jen Onealin August 2021 following the news of California’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, but Oneal left just a few months later in November and claimedshe made less than Ybarradespite holding the same title and responsibilities.
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