Blizzard cancels its secret survival game as president and co-founder leave
Blizzard Entertainment’s self-titled survival game set in an original universe is no more. In the wake of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard and amid sweeping layoffs at several Xbox gaming teams, the company has canceled the project, according to a report from the edge.
As part of Microsoft’s restructuring of its Xbox, Zenimax, Activision and Blizzard Entertainment teams, Blizzard President Mike Ybarra has announced that he will be leaving the company, effective immediately. In a statement about XYbarra said, “Today is my last day at Blizzard. It has been an absolute honor to lead Blizzard through an incredible time and be part of the team, shaping it for the future. After working at Microsoft for more than twenty years and with the acquisition of Activision Blizzard behind me, it is time for me to (again) become Blizzard’s biggest fan from the outside.”
Ybarra took on the role of Blizzard Entertainment in 2021, replacing outgoing president J. Allen Brack. Ybarra initially led the company together with Jen Oneal, who left her position after just a few months.
In addition to Ybarra, Blizzard co-founder and chief design officer Allen Adham is departing. “As one of Blizzard’s co-founders, Allen has had a broad impact on all of Blizzard’s games,” said Matt Booty, Microsoft’s president of game content and studios, in a memo obtained by The Verge. “His influence will be felt for years to come, both directly and indirectly, as Allen plans to continue mentoring young designers across the industry.”
Adham left Blizzard in 2004 and returned to the company more than a decade later to creatively lead the World of Warcraft developer.
Blizzard’s self-titled survival game was announced in 2022 and described as “a brand new survival game for PC and console. A place full of heroes yet to meet, stories yet to be told and adventures yet to be experienced. A vast realm of possibilities, waiting to be discovered.”
The now canceled game was destined to be Blizzard’s first new original property since the launch of Overwatch in 2016. It would also have been Blizzard’s first foray into the survival genre popularized by games like Minecraft, DayZAnd Rust — a genre that remains popular, as evidenced by new releases Palworld And Enveloped.