Chacko Sonny, executive producer on Overwatch, has announced his departure from Activision Blizzard – the latest high-profile departure from a publisher still embroiled in multiple legal wrangling stemming from a California lawsuit alleging a culture of sexual harassment and discrimination within the company.
News of Sonny’s departure comes via Bloomberg, which says the Overwatch producer told staff his last day would be this Friday in an email, describing his time at the company as “an absolute privilege and one of the best experiences of my career”. In a separate email, Blizzard co-leaders Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra called Sonny “a thoughtful leader” and while no reason was given for his departure, Bloomberg reports staff say Sonny was well-respected within the company and that they weren’t aware of any allegations against him.
Sonny – who served as head of the Overwatch franchise and was overseeing the development of Overwatch 2 – leaves Activision Blizzard almost exactly five months after the high-profile departure of Overwatch director and Blizzard Entertainment vice president Jeff Kaplan. However, despite these significant senior staffing changes, Activision Blizzard insists Overwatch 2 “is in the final stages of production” and says more will be shared at the Overwatch League Grand Finals this weekend.
