Xbox's Mike Ybarra leaves Microsoft after 20 years, joins Blizzard Entertainment (update)

What you need to know

Mike Ybarra has been with Microsoft for 20 years.
He was the Corporate Vice President of Gaming and worked closely with the Xbox Insider Program.
Today, Ybarra announced he was leaving the company for a new adventure.
It's unclear what Ybarra plans to do in the future at this time.

Updated October 23, 2019: Ybarra is joining Blizzard Entertainment as Executive Vice President and General Manager.

I'm very happy to announce I'm joining @Blizzard_Ent as Exec. Vice President and GM starting 11/4 (will be at #blizzcon!). We will work with all our energy to serve gamers with incredible content and experiences. I can't wait to be part of this team. #lucky #humble #gamers #serve pic.twitter.com/kZ8dRuF3pe
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) October 24, 2019

Mike Ybarra has been with Microsoft for the past 20 years, working on the Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One software experience. He became the Corporate Vice President of Gaming not too long ago, and has been deeply involved with the Xbox Insider Program.

Today, Ybarra announced on Twitter that he was leaving Microsoft for a new adventure. It's unclear what this is, but we'll keep you posted as soon as we find out.

After 20 years at Microsoft, it’s time for my next adventure. It’s been a great ride at Xbox and the future is bright. Thanks to everyone at TeamXbox, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished and I wish you the best. More soon on what’s next for me (super excited)! 1/2...
— Mike Ybarra (@Qwik) October 9, 2019

As soon as news broke, Phil Spencer, the Executive Vice President of Gaming, thanked Ybarra for this contribution towards the Xbox brand. Other Microsoft employees like Larry Hryb, the Xbox Live Director of Programming, also thanked Ybarra.

Ybarra streamed a lot on Mixer, and hopefully, he'll keep it up. We'll definitely miss him talking about Xbox and other games. We can't wait to know what he plans on doing next.

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