Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment President David Haddad is stepping down after 12 years leading the Warner Bros. gaming division.
Haddad will remain at the company led by David Zaslav for the next three months as WBD searches for his successor and helps oversee his successor's transition.
Warner Bros. Discovery Worldwide Streaming and Warner Bros. Discovery Worldwide Streaming said: "David has thoughtfully and purposefully chosen a looser time in our release schedule that will help minimize disruption to our ongoing projects. and strategic planning, and allows the team to smoothly prepare for its next record-breaking game," said JB Perrette, CEO and President of Games.
A town hall meeting chaired by Perrette and Haddad is scheduled for later Thursday to provide more details to the WB Games team. A source familiar with the situation revealed type WBD has no plans to sell the gaming division and aims to focus on filling gaps in Haddad's existing business.
"I am extremely proud of everything we have accomplished together during my time at Warner Bros. Games," said Haddad. "It has been an absolute pleasure working on and building our iconic game series, and I will continue to be an enthusiastic supporter of this talented team's future endeavors. I look forward to embarking on the next chapter of my career and will be forever grateful for my role in Time spent at Warner Bros. Games.”
See below the internal note Perrette sent to employees announcing Haddad's exit.
global gaming team,
I want to share the news that after 12 incredible years leading WBD Games, David Haddad has decided to leave the company.
On behalf of David Zaslav and everyone at WBD, I would like to express our deepest gratitude for David's excellent work and enthusiasm during this time. With the support and efforts of the entire team, David has led WB Games to numerous creative and business achievements over the years. His vision, talent and passion have helped build one of the most successful and respected gaming companies in the industry and navigate some of the biggest changes and challenges.
From transforming a brick-and-mortar software company into a digital-first gaming operator, to organically building a successful free-to-play mobile business, to developing and publishing multiple multi-billion dollar games and franchises including Hogwarts Legacy ”, “Game of Thrones” Conquest and “Golf Showdown”), it’s been an extraordinary journey for one of the most fan-pleasing moments in the Mortal Kombat franchise’s 30-plus-year history.
David thoughtfully and purposefully chose a looser time for our release schedule that will help minimize disruption to our ongoing projects and strategic plans and allow the team to smoothly prepare for the next Get ready for record breaking games. David has also generously agreed to stay on for the next three months as we begin the search to fill this important leadership position and will help ensure a smooth transition. This transition period will also provide me with additional opportunities to engage directly with Olympic leadership, and I look forward to engaging more deeply with all of you and this incredible business.
I completely understand, especially after working with the same leader and boss for 12 years, that change can be hard and uncomfortable (in our industry and at WBD we certainly have our fair share). But it also brings opportunity, the opportunity for a healthy new perspective, and the ability to create the next incredible chapter for our fans and our business... and I'm excited to be on this journey with you.
I'm sure you'll have a lot of questions as a result of this news, so David and I will be meeting with you soon at a scheduled town hall. You may have more questions than we can answer right now, but we want to do our best to respond.
Thankfully, we will have more time to celebrate and thank David, but I know you will join me in expressing initial congratulations and gratitude for this extraordinary chapter of his leadership.
Johor