Blizzard’s New President Is Former ‘Call of Duty,’ NFL Executive

Video-game developer Blizzard Entertainment has appointed Johanna Faries as its next president, the first new leader of the studio since Microsoft Corp. purchased its parent company Activision Blizzard Inc. for $69 billion.

Faries, previously general manager for the Call of Duty franchise at Activision, will succeed Mike Ybarra, who left the company last week amid mass layoffs. Faries started at Activision in 2018 as head of Call of Duty esports. She previously spent nearly 12 years working at the National Football League.

The appointment of an Activision executive as Blizzard’s chief may come as a surprise to many employees. Before the acquisition, the ...