Diablo IV game director Luis Barriga, Blizzard lead level designer Jesse McCree (who's also D2R Items the namesake for Diablo's cowboy hero) as well as World of Warcraft designer Jonathan LeCraft are all gone by the business, Activision Blizzard has confirmed with GameSpot. The announcement was first made public by Kotaku.
The sources for the publication stated that Activision Blizzard didn't specify why the three developers were removed from their posts, and Activision Blizzard's official statement offers no information. The resignations came after a court case in California has filed against gaming giant , alleging that the company cultivated in a culture of widespread sexual harassment and discrimination.
"We are able to confirm that Luis Barriga, Jesse McCree, as well as Jonathan LeCraft are no longer with the firm," an Activision Blizzard spokesperson stated. "We have a strong talented group of developers already in place and we have new leaders named as necessary. We are confident of our capacity to grow providing amazing experiences to our users, and to move forward to create a secure and productive working environment for everyone."
Jesse McCree is of particular significance, because he was one of the many designers, both former and present, seen in the now infamous "Cosby Suite" photo that circulated the circulation in late July. Jonathan LeCraft also appears in this picture, as does Blizzard chief designer Cory Stockton. In the words of Kotaku, Stockton was placed on leave earlier this month, but is still at Blizzard.
It's unclear if McCree's name has been removed from Diablo, although Blizzard's World of Warcraft team recently committed to removing "not appropriate" references from D2R Ladder Items Buy the game.