Kim Phan leaves Blizzard as famed developer continues losing talent
Blizzard’s global esports director Kim Phan has announced her resignation.
Blizzard is losing another high profile esports executive. Kim Phan, now the company’s former global esports director, made the announcement through the Team Liquid forums.
Phan is leaving Blizzard after 13 years. She started her career with the famed game developer as a producer in online technologies. Through the years, Phan worked in different roles until she landed in the esports department.
According to the announcement, Phan finished her time with Blizzard on June 14 and will pursue other endeavors in the gaming industry. She didn’t offer further explanations about her decision to leave Blizzard, but took the time to send a message to her former co-workers.
“As I hang up my sword and shield, I look forward to a bright future and wish all my Blizzard friends and family the very best,” Phan said.
Despite her departure from the company, Phan said she would be attending BlizzCon as a fan. The convention organized by Blizzard is set to start on November 1.
Phan follows the steps of Blizzard commissioner Nate Nanzer, who left the company one month ago in May. Days after his departure, Nanzer announced he would be joining Epic Games where he will oversee Fortnite’s new esports initiatives.
Nanzer and Phan’s resignations might be just the start. According to a report by Dexerto, several high-profile executives could be looking to exit Blizzard.
The company has a complicated relationship with its employees. Back in February, Blizzard laid off 8% of its personnel despite reporting record-breaking revenues in 2018.
The developer also canceled the Heroes of the Storm Pro League, an esports competition that included such notable organizations as Team Liquid, Dignitas, and Fnatic.
Alleged questionable decision making may be hitting directly at employee morale. According to several reports, the workers at Blizzard blame senior management and their increasing focus on commercialization over community building.
Blizzard may be focusing on putting esports in the mainstream and capturing new viewers instead of nurturing the current audience, and this direction could potentially lead the company astray.
Read Also
Slots
Here are Five Thunderpick Originals games to play
Ian John
Crypto casinos have developed their own niche within the online gaming industry. Alongside the typical casino fare of slots and table games, a new type of game has proliferated in these new era casinos. The so-called “Originals” titles, designed with excitement, instant gameplay, streamer-friendly elements and provably fair outcomes in mind. Amongst the new breed of casinos that offer these types of games is Thunderpick. Formed as an esports betting ...
Twitch
Sykkuno returns to streaming after cheating controversy
Khizar Mundia
Twitch streamer Sykkuno stepped away from streaming and the internet following cheating accusations levied against him earlier this year, but he has now returned and also discussed the situation in his comeback broadcast. Sykkuno became famous with his Among Us content, but the streamer continued to expand and then became known for his Valorant collaborations — he even streamed alongside many top creators, such as Disguised Toast and Corpse Husband. ...
Esports Betting
Sony’s State of Play has transformed the 2026 and 2027 game release schedule
Michael Hassall
Sony’s State of Play on June 2 was one of the most exciting showcases of what we can expect from the gaming world in the next six months, with some major statement title bookmarking a solid line-up of returning classics and new favorites. From the thrilling opening with Wolverine and Marvel characters taking the lead, to the closing moments with God of War Laufey punctuating both the God of War ...
News
Insomniac confirms major change to Wolverine from Spider-Man
Zachary Roberts
PlayStation's State of Play earlier this week gave fans a good look at the upcoming Wolverine title from Insomniac. The stream opened with nearly 10 minutes of gameplay, showcasing the brutality of Logan and a little bit of the gameplay mechanics. We saw Wolverine fight, heal, and go about his story mission. Many expected to see plenty of this at the State of Play since the game is set to ...
Casino Streamers
Big Wins Tracker: Top Streamers Latest Major Casino Wins
Ben Boland
All players dream of landing a massive payout, with casino games offering large win potential if the max win is anywhere near being landed. Watching streamers do just that has become hugely popular on the internet, with platforms such as Kick offering the opportunity for life-altering amounts of money to be earned in front of an audience. On this page, we have developed a Big Wins Tracker. This is your ...
Twitch
Twitch announces AI stream summaries at TwitchCon
Conn Mc Gillion
At TwitchCon 2026 in Rotterdam, Twitch has announced a new AI stream summary feature, which has already started to turn heads. This let viewers catch up on what they missed through the AI summary, before they jump into the live stream. This is one of the key features that was announced on May 30th at the Twitch Convention Opening Ceremony, hosted by Twitch CEO Dan Clancy and Mary Kish. The ...
Kick
This is how to get started on Club and earn ClubCash
Hannan Mundia
Club.com is a newly-launched creator-focused social platform created by the minds behind Kick and Stake — but how can users start with it to earn the in-platform currency called ClubCash? The social media space is basically a race to see who can bring their more creative endeavours to life first. Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani have already made waves by creating Kick and Stake, both of which have gone on ...
