Company Appoints Ray Gresko as Chief
Development Officer and Blizzard Founder Allen Adham to Executive
Leadership Team
Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced the
appointment of Blizzard veteran and World of Warcraft® Executive
Producer J. Allen Brack as the new president of Blizzard
Entertainment succeeding Mike Morhaime, who will remain a strategic
advisor to the company. The company also announced the appointments
of Chief Development Officer Ray Gresko and Blizzard Founder Allen
Adham to Blizzard’s executive leadership team.
“J. has been with Blizzard for over 12 years leading the World
of Warcraft team, and it takes vision, creativity and unwavering
commitment to excellence to sustain a community of players the way
J. has for over a decade,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision
Blizzard. “J. is an inspiring leader. He has shown unwavering
commitment to our community, to innovation and creative excellence
and he cares deeply about ensuring the very best of Blizzard
culture will be protected.”
“I am also excited to have Allen Adham, Blizzard’s founder, who
rejoined the company two years ago and Ray Gresko, Blizzard’s Chief
Development Officer, join Blizzard’s executive leadership team. I
have known both Allen and Ray for more than 25 years and they are
two of the most capable entrepreneurs in the game industry. They
will help make certain that inspiration and creativity remains the
focus of Blizzard,” said Kotick.
“I am incredibly honored and humbled to serve as Blizzard’s next
president, and to lead one of the best entertainment companies in
the world, thanks to the passion and dedication of our player
community and employees,” said J. Allen Brack, president, Blizzard
Entertainment. “Blizzard was founded on the promise of making great
games, and I plan to continue this fierce commitment to quality,
our community, and our purpose. I couldn’t be more excited about
what’s next given the strength of our pipeline.”
“Thanks to Mike Morhaime’s wonderful stewardship and masterful
job of building a truly extraordinary team, epic games and a global
community of beloved players, Blizzard is one of the very best game
companies in the world,” Kotick added.
“I want to thank all of the talented and hardworking people at
Blizzard for their dedication, creativity and passion. It has been
a privilege to lead this team. I’m also very grateful to Blizzard‘s
player community for their support,” said Mike Morhaime.
About J. Allen Brack
J. Allen Brack is a seasoned game industry veteran bringing
nearly 24 years’ experience to this new role. As president of
Blizzard Entertainment, Brack is dedicated to maintaining the high
standard of quality that has propelled Blizzard to become an
internationally recognized leader in interactive entertainment.
Most recently, Brack served as executive producer and senior vice
president for World of Warcraft, the #1 subscription-based MMORPG
in the world. Throughout his twelve years at Blizzard, World of
Warcraft has captivated millions of players worldwide and received
a steady stream of high-quality content updates, including multiple
expansions that rank among the fastest-selling PC games of all
time. Prior to joining Blizzard, Brack held multiple roles at
Origin Systems, Inc., working on the Wing Commander franchise, and
then at Sony Online Entertainment LLC working on Star Wars
Galaxies.
About Ray Gresko
As chief development officer, Ray Gresko will oversee ongoing
product development efforts across Blizzard’s iconic franchises, to
ensure that the company delivers a consistent high-quality
experience across its games. Gresko, a 26-year industry veteran,
most recently held the role of executive producer for Overwatch,
leading the development team through the creation of a brand-new
Blizzard franchise and helping launch the game to critical acclaim.
Gresko joined Blizzard in 2008 as production director on Diablo
III. Previously, Gresko worked on multiple highly regarded
LucasArts titles, co-founded and managed Nihilistic Software, and
was director of production and studio design director for
Stormfront Studios.
About Allen Adham
As executive producer, senior vice president, and founder of
Blizzard Entertainment, Allen Adham is responsible for supporting
some of the company’s initiatives around new product incubation. In
this role, he serves on Blizzard’s executive team and helps
shepherd the company’s vision for the future while setting goals
and strategies that support Blizzard’s dedication to creating the
most epic entertainment experiences ever. In February 1991, Allen
co-founded Blizzard Entertainment with Mike Morhaime and Frank
Pearce, serving as the company’s first president and later
chairman. He provided executive leadership on the company’s first
games, helping to build the industry-leading Warcraft, StarCraft,
and Diablo entertainment universes. This included overseeing the
creation of World of Warcraft and serving as the game’s lead
designer from inception through its first five years of
development.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft®,
Hearthstone®, Overwatch®, the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo®
franchises, and the multi-franchise Heroes of the Storm®, Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision
Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of
entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry’s
most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment’s track
record includes twenty-two #1 games* and multiple Game of the Year
awards. The company's online gaming service, Blizzard Battle.net®,
is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active
players.
*Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and
reports from key distribution partners.
About Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Activision Blizzard, Inc., a member of the Fortune 500 and
S&P 500, is the world's most successful standalone interactive
entertainment company. We delight hundreds of millions of monthly
active users around the world through franchises including
Activision's Call of Duty®, Destiny and Skylanders®, Blizzard
Entertainment's World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Hearthstone®,
Diablo®, StarCraft®, and Heroes of the Storm®, and King's Candy
Crush™, Pet Rescue™, Bubble Witch™ and Farm Heroes™. The company is
one of the Fortune "100 Best Companies To Work For®." Headquartered
in Santa Monica, California, Activision Blizzard has operations
throughout the world, and its games are played in 196 countries.
More information about Activision Blizzard and its products can be
found on the company's website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
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Activision Blizzard, Inc.Kristin BinnsSVP & Chief
Communications Officer(424)
272-3420Kristin.Binns@activision.comorBlizzard Entertainment,
Inc.Rob HilburgerVice President, Global Communications(949)
242-8404rhilburger@blizzard.com
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