It has been confirmed by Brian Birmingham, World of Warcraft Classic lead, that he has been fired by Blizzard. Intending to resign all the same to protest demanding company policy, a series of tweets by the game developer has confirmed that Activision Blizzard ended his tenure before he could do so.
The exact reasons for the protest is down to the development quotas that are being imposed on employees by Activision Blizzard King executives at all of the studios that fall under the company's banner. It's said that the policy is designed to ensure individuals who don't meet said quotas receive the necessary feedback to improve their performance.
Birmingham notes that the parent company "put us under pressure to deliver both expansions early," before also adding that "It is deeply unjust to follow that by depriving employees who worked on them their fair share of profit."
In the lengthy array of tweets, Birmingham also adds that the "developing quota is toxic" and that it is strictly an Activision Blizzard King policy that is being forced upon Blizzard. He also states that Blizzard is being "torn apart by the executives at ABK".
With Birmingham now out of the Californian developer, he has stated that he won't be boycotting its games as "I can't participate in a policy that lets ABK steal money from deserving employees".
This all comes following a Bloomberg article that brought many of these policies to light, which Birmingham has confirmed that while he did not speak directly to Bloomberg about the article in question, the quotes and information that it reveals are accurate.