Google’s Daniel Alegre named Activision Blizzard’s new president and COO

Activation Blizzard has announced that Daniel Alegre, Google’s president of global retail and shopping, will be its new president and chief operating officer as of April 7. He is replacing Cody Johnson, who will stay on in an advisory capacity.

Alegre has been with Google for over 16 years and has held a number of executive positions. While Alegre has never worked as a game executive before, Johnson’s 13 years of experience with Blizzard should be of use.

As President and COO, Alegre will oversee everything that falls under Activision Blizzard’s brand. This ranges from Candy Crush and Call of Duty, to Blizzard-specific games like World of Warcraft and Overwatch. How hands-on or hands-off he will be when it comes to the decisions made for these games remains to be seen.

Alegre enters the company as it works on Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV.

The coming changes

This change isn’t quite as big a deal as Blizzard veteran Michael Chu’s recent departure from the company. Chu has left after two decades as a key member at Blizzard, ending his long stint while working as the lead writer for Overwatch.

Regardless, Daniel Alegre’s arrival is quite a significant change for the house of Warcraft. This, especially with a game as anticipated as Diablo 4 in the works. Time will tell what these recent changes at Activation Blizzard will mean for the company and for its games.

Alegre wrote in a statement on his departure:

Activision Blizzard is at an exciting point in its history. In addition to a deep library of owned and internationally beloved franchises, the company has tremendous talent that has built a culture committed to inspiration and creativity. More importantly, through thoughtful and creative games, it connects and engages over 400 million people around the world through epic entertainment. I look forward to helping players around the world connect through quality and immersive games.