Former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, who stepped down in January, has a new job: CEO of daily fantasy sports company PrizePicks.

In 2021, Ybarra was named co-chairman of Blizzard along with Jen O'Neal; the two replaced J. Allen Black, who resigned following a civil rights lawsuit in California. A few months later, Oneil announced he was leaving Blizzard, and Ibarra became the studio's sole head until this year, when he abruptly resigned shortly after Microsoft's acquisition was finalized. Former "Call of Duty" general manager Johanna Faries now serves as Blizzard's president.

Ybarra announced his resignation at the same time that Microsoft laid off some 2,000 game employees, including the entire Blizzard team that made survival games. He offered little explanation, simply stating that it was "time to leave." According to reporter Jason Schreier, Ibarra had previously said he had to "pull him out" of Blizzard.

Ibarra's new job gives no obvious clues as to what really happened between him and Blizzard and Microsoft. His previous work is only briefly mentioned in the press release, where he generally comments that "PrizePicks is the most exciting company in sports entertainment today."

The leap from Ybarra PC games to daily fantasy sports is suggestive. Recent innovations in the video game industry, such as loot boxes, battle passes, daily quests, and rotating store selections, certainly seem at home in the world of daily fantasy and gambling.

Daily fantasy sports arguably emerged in the 2010s through a loophole in U.S. law: while sports betting may be banned, fantasy sports leagues with prize money are not necessarily prohibited; DraftKings and PrizePicks In apps like these, players pay to enter contests, pick a roster of players to compete that day, and win cash prizes if their picks are successful. Of course, chance is a much bigger factor when picking players daily as opposed to managing a fantasy team throughout the season.

A related movement is the rise of mobile gaming platforms, such as Skillz, that offer cash prizes for directly participating in small gaming competitions. (Skillz calls these "casual mobile gaming tournaments," but I would argue that if you are putting your money into solitaire, you are not a true casual solitaire player.)