Activision Blizzard has announced it has hired Julie Hodges from The Walt Disney Company to become the new Chief People Officer and help “build a more inclusive workplace.” Hodges hiring comes as Activision Blizzard continues to confront the fallout of an ongoing gender discrimination lawsuit from the state of California.

Hodges was previously senior vice president of corporate HR, compensation, benefits, and talent acquisition at The Walt Disney Company. According to a press release provided by Activision Blizzard, Hodges was responsible for helping shape corporate culture at Disney.

Hodges will oversee all aspects of human resources “including diversity, equity and inclusion, talent acquisition, employee experience, learning and development, compensation, and benefits and workplace planning,” at Activision Blizzard.

Hodges was hired alongside Delta Airlines’ Sandeep Dube who will serve as the new Chief Commercial Officer, a revenue role.

Hodges will replace Claudine Naughton who is the former Chief People Officer. The company's former HR executive, Jesse Meschuk also left in August 2021 alongside president J. Allen Brack. Meschuk left following a lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing which accused the video game developer of systemically discriminating against women employees in regards to salaries and promotions. Furthermore, Activision Blizzard was accused of fostering a work environment where female employees were sexually harassed.

The lawsuit claims Activision Blizzard’s human resources department was complicit in this workplace and employees were discouraged from reporting to human resources as they “were known to be close to alleged harassers.” An HR employee at Blizzard was pictured in the “Cosby Suite,” photograph.

In a statement, Activision Blizzard’s incoming chief people officer says, “I share the company’s belief that a work environment should welcome all perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds."

“A workforce where everyone feels valued is critical to the success of our business, as is a trusting, engaging, and safe environment that encourages creativity and innovation and in which all employees can thrive," says Hodges. "It takes a collective effort to do this, and I’m looking forward to ensuring that we support the diversity of our talent to bring our people together and continue creating amazing entertainment.”

IGN’s own internal investigation within Blizzard has revealed that there is work to be done to regain this trust. Reports have also emerged that Activision Blizzard is retaliating against employees who are speaking out against the company.

Correction: An earlier version of this story suggested Hodges replaced HR executive Jesse Meschuk. Hodges will be replacing Activision Blizzard's former Chief People Officer Claudine Naughton who is leaving the company. The story has been edited to reflec this.

Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.

The Kingpin has a decades-long history making life miserable for Daredevil and Spider-Man. But what happens when Wilson Fisk sets his sights higher? Can this ruthless crime boss take on the combined might of Spidey, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and two Daredevils? That's what we're about to find out in the upcoming limited series Devil's Reign.

IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of Devil's Reign #1, which features writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Marco Checchetto building on the backbone of their ongoing Daredevil series. Check out the new images in the slideshow gallery below, and read on to see Zdarsky tease what's coming and why Devil's Reign isn't really a Daredevil story at all.

Zdarsky has made waves with his Daredevil run several times already. For example, in issue #1, a weary Matt Murdock committed manslaughter, and later in issue #26, Elektra took up the mantle of Daredevil after Matt turned himself over to the police. In Devil's Reign, Matt is now free again and sharing the mantle with Elektra. But with Wilson Fisk more powerful than ever, both devils will need a lot of friends to survive the coming days.

Zdarksy revealed that Devil's Reign isn't a Daredevil story so much as it is the culmination of Fisk's recent journey in the Marvel Universe. Since becoming the duly elected mayor of New York City, Fisk has been quietly amassing both political power and an underground army of supervillains. Now, he's ready to use both in order to rid the city of its costumed vigilante problem.

"From the beginning I had Fisk's catalyst figured out, the thing that propels him to, well, lose it," Zdarsky told IGN. "But the fallout and what it meant for New York was something I worked on in the background as the series went along."

Zdarsky continued, "Part of what shaped the story is the fact that, when I pitched the Daredevil storyline to the Marvel editors and writers, the feedback kept making it bigger. Like, originally it was a big Daredevil story, and then it was suggested we make it a mini event and then when I submitted the first outline it became clear this is much bigger than Daredevil and the street-level heroes, so it got the green light as a big ol’ event!"

Devil's Reign features a wide cast of New York-based heroes, including the Ben Reilly version of Spider-Man and members of both the Fantastic Four and Avengers. That might seem like an impossible force for a non-superhuman like Fisk, but Zdarsky teases the Kingpin has more than a few aces up his oversized sleeve. For one thing, he'll be spearheading the newest incarnation of the Thunderbolts as a source of added muscle. For another, he'll be fighting the heroes in the court of public opinion, bringing to mind Marvel's more politically topical crossovers like Civil War and Dark Reign.

"He’s trying to sway the public using cherry-picked examples of various incidents, Matt’s recent troubles being one of them," Zdarsky said. "He’s a politician and he’s actually pretty good at it, which is a problem for our heroes. But, beyond that, he has some aces up his sleeves that are definitely not about politics."

Zdarsky continued, "What makes Fisk an elevated threat is his mind, not his fists. That’s always been the case. Sure, Thor could turn him into paste, but Fisk knows that and has planned for it. And Marvel superheroes aren’t about to overthrow democracy."

Naturally, with so many heroes and villains involved in this conflict, Devil's Reign is being treated as a full-fledged crossover event with tie-in issues and companion books. To date, December's Spider-Woman #18 is the only confirmed tie-in issue, but it's safe to expect plenty more Devil's Reign content in early 2022. Though Zdarsky reassured fans the scope of the crossover won't grow too large.

"There are tie-ins—it’s an event after all—but we’ve kept it tight. One of the things that’s been stressed in my calls with Marvel is that we want to make sure there are stories to tell here that really spring out of the event and what Fisk does. I’ve seen scripts for a couple of them so far and they’re fantastic."

As the preview art reveals, Fisk's real motive is his desire to finally uncover Daredevil's secret identity. For those who might not have been following the monthly Daredevil series lately, Matt managed to make the entire Marvel Universe forget his secret. That includes Fisk, a man who once used that information to drive Daredevil over the edge in the iconic 1986 storyline Daredevil: Born Again.

Whether or not Fisk recovers his lost knowledge, Zdarsky stressed Devil's Reign won't be the end of his ongoing Daredevil saga.

"I have a much bigger story for Elektra and Matt on the other end of this! We now live in a world with two Daredevils, and they have plans," he said. "And weirdly, they’re not the focus of Devil's Reign. It’s Fisk’s story and Matt and Elektra are doing their best to save the city from him. They’ve made mistakes and those mistakes have caused this calamity. So, you know, classic Matt Murdock guilt."

Devil's Reign #1 will hit stores on December 1, with issue #2 following two weeks later on December 15.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.

Today Plex brought back its annual 20% off discount on the very popular Plex Lifetime Pass. If you've built yourself a sizeable digital collection of movies or music, this service is totally worth investing in. For those of you who are looking to upgrade your PS5 internal storage, the WD SN850 solid state drive (with heatsink) is back in stock at the WD Store, with the 500GB and 2TB models cheaper than anywhere else, even Amazon. Last but not least, score a free Newegg gift card when you purchase an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset or its accessories.

20% Off Plex Pass Lifetime Subscription

Plex hosts this offer only once or twice a year, and it's the best deal you'll find for a Plex Pass subscription. A lifetime sub normally costs $119.95, so you'd be paying a one time only fee of $95.99 after the discount. Plex is an incredibly useful service that lets you organize your movies, TVs, podcasts, and music from all of your different sources into one centralized location, and then stream them to any of your devices, like your TV, PC, or phone.

New Oculus Quest 2 VR Headset with More Storage, Same Price, and Bonus Newegg Gift Card

The Oculus Quest 2 has so far been the best value when it comes to VR gaming. It's hundreds of dollars cheaper than its competitors, it has phenomenal tracking, it doesn't need to be tethered to a PC, and it boasts a huge library of games (even Half Life: Alyx is easily playable on the Quest 2). Now, Oculus has re-released its Oculus Quest 2 VR headset with double the storage (128GB vs 64GB) for the exact same price. There's even less of a reason now to pick something else. I purchased an Oculus Rift when it first launched, played the heck out of it, and now own a Quest 2. In my opinion, and with price factored in, it's far and away the best VR headset to get into Beat Saber.

Buy Quest 2 Accessories, Get a Newegg Gift Card

The Oculus Quest 2 is a bargain at $299, and thanks to the low price, you can pick up some very convenient accessories without having to feel like you just stepped out of your budget. Newegg is offering a bonus gift card when you purchase any of the accessories below. That includes the Elite Strap, the Elite Strap with Battery Pack, the Link Cable, and more.

Back in Stock (Including 1TB Model): WD Black SN850 M.2 SSD with Heatsink

The Western Digital official storefront has all models of the SN850 SSD with heatsink in stock right now, and that includes the extremely hard to find 1TB model. This is currently the most popular (and probably the best) SSD to get for your PS5 storage upgrade. It's blazing fast drive with transfer speeds rated at up to 7,000 MB/s and a PCIe Gen4 interface and it comes preinstalled with a heatsink. It's also confirmed by Western Digital themselves to be compatible with the PS5.

Apple AirPods Pro Noise-Cancelling Earbuds

If you regret not picking the Airpods Pro up on Amazon Prime Day, here's your chance to get it today for an even lower price. Today the price of the AirPods Pro has dropped $70, or 28% off. This is the lowest price we've seen for a brand new pair of these highly rated earbuds. The AirPods Pro is considered by many to be the best truly wireless noise-cancelling in-ear headphones you can get, and a very big step up in quality from the standard AirPods.

$2,600 Off Lenovo ThinkPad 15" 4K RTX 3080 Laptop

Update: The ship date listed on Lenovo's site shows 4+ months, and that seems to be exaggerated. Some buyers have reported receiving their laptops in about 2-3 weeks.

Lenovo ThinkPad laptops are known for their best-in-class ruggedness and reliability, and even if it ever breaks down, Lenovo offers the best customer service in the business. Usually there's a steep price premium for this. Today, however, this $5000 MSRP laptop is discounted by $2600 thanks to a combination of an instant discount and a new coupon code that popped up today. If you're looking to purchase a ThinkPad that's got the power to do some serious gaming, you won't find a price like this anytime soon.

Dell XPS Intel Core i7 RTX 3060 Ti PC for $1369

Enjoy high end PC gaming on a budget. There is one of the best deals we've seen for an RTX 3060 Ti equipped PC and handily beats out a similar deal we saw on Labor Day by over $100. The RTX 3060 Ti is a very powerful video card; it's better than the previous generation's RTX 2080! It's a big upgrade from the 3060 non-Ti model and the one to get if you're going to play games at resolutions of 1440p or higher. This particular deal is found on the Dell Small Business site, but anyone can purchase there just like on Dell's regular site; you can treat Dell Small Business as exactly the same as Dell Home.

Preorder the Middle Earth 6-Film Ultimate Collector's Edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital)

This impressive Middle Earth Collector's Edition includes both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies over a whopping 31 discs. That's because there are separate 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs for both the Theatrical Editions and the Extended Editions. You also get digital HD copies for free, and they are compatible with MoviesAnywhere so you can merge it into your digital library. As far as extras go, you get a Special Features Blu-ray disc, a 64-page booklet, and 7 travel poster art cards. All the discs are stored in collectible foil sleeves.

Video Game Deals

More Daily Deals for September 14

Norm Macdonald, known for his acerbic wit and jabs at conventional comedy, has died. He was 61.

Deadline broke the news that Macdonald died after a nine year battle with cancer, which he has kept largely private. Producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra told Deadline that he wanted to focus on his comedy.

"He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him," Hoekstra said. "Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that 'a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.' He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly."

Comedians and other influential figures on social media quickly paid tribute to Macdonald.

Plus do yourself a favor and pick up @normmacdonald ‘s book. One of the funniest things I’ve ever read. I have only called a handful of funny people a genius, he was one of them. I love you, Norm. RIP, you delightful weirdo.

— Brian Posehn (@thebrianposehn) September 14, 2021

Norm Macdonald was a comedians comedian. One I would listen to in the car at least once a month. His takedown of a school teacher who tried to heckle him will remain comedy gold for the rest of time. RIP Norm 🙁 pic.twitter.com/ymz6nXPcII

— Kidbehindacamera (@Lyricoldrap) September 14, 2021

Of the many addictive rabbit holes you can disappear down on the internet, the most pleasurable is 'Norm MacDonald chat show appearances'. Thanks for all the laughs Norm, very sorry to see you go. https://t.co/ahxZNRdJEw

— edgarwright (@edgarwright) September 14, 2021

Macdonald is best-known for his stint on Saturday Night Live between 1993 and 1998, where he hosted Weekend Update in an era in which figures like O.J. Simpson and Bill Clinton loomed large. His savage sense of humor and penchant for pushing boundaries won him many fans, among his greatest moments being his utter destruction of ESPN's Award Show as its host in 1998. That same sense of humor reportedly resulted in his firing from SNL, as he wouldn't stop insulting O.J. Simpson, much to the reported displeasure of NBC president Don Ohlmeyer.

Outside of Saturday Night Live, Macdonald's work included appearances in films including Billy Madison and The People vs. Larry Flynt, as well as a recurring role in The Orville as the voice of Yaphit. As recently as last year, Macdonald hosted a YouTube talk show called Quarantined in which he interviewed various celebrities such as Chevy Chase.

Macdonald was born in Quebec, Canada. He is survived among others by Neil Macdonald, a well-known Canadian journalist.

Kat Bailey is a Senior News Editor at IGN.

Netflix has added the acclaimed Dark Horse series Grendel to its ever-growing lineup of comic book adaptations. The streamer has greenlit an eight-episode season centered around the comic's original protagonist, Hunter Rose.

Grendel will be written by Supernatural veteran Andrew Dabb, who is also serving as showrunner and executive producer. The series is also executive produced by Grendel creator Matt Wagner and Dark Horse Entertainment’s Mike Richardson, Keith Goldberg and Chris Tongue.

Abubakr Ali (Power: Book II) has been tapped to star as Hunter Rose. A gifted fencer and acclaimed novelist, Rose is driven by a mixture of boredom and vengeance to become a costumed vigilante, before ultimately taking control of the city's criminal underworld. Jaime Ray Newman (Dopesick) has been cast as Hunter's mentor Jocasta Rose. Julian Black Antelope plays Hunter's heroic nemesis, Argent, a centuries-old Native American man transformed into a werewolf.

The Season 1 cast also includes Madeline Zima (Californication) as Liz Sparks, Kevin Corrigan (Scenes from an Empty Church) as Barry Palumbo, Emma Ho (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) as Stacy Palumbo, Erik Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Teddy Ciccone, Brittany Allen (What Keeps You Alive) as Annabelle Wright and Andy Mientus (The Flash) as Andy Stohler.

Grendel originally debuted in 1982's Comico Primer #2, with Wagner later expanding on his original, unfinished story in the graphic novel Grendel: Devil by the Deed. Since then, the Grendel saga has continued at Dark Horse through various ongoing and limited series, the most recent of which was 2019's Grendel: Devil's Odyssey. While the early Grendel tales focus on Hunter Rose's rise and fall, Wagner's story often jumps forward in time to explore other characters taking up the Grendel mantle and the the never-ending cycle of violence and aggression Rose leaves in his wake.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled about the Grendel saga, one of the longest-running independent comics series, finally being translated into live-action for the screen," said Wagner in a statement. "Under the sharp guidance of showrunner Andrew Dabb, our incredible creative team, sure-to-be stellar cast and Dark Horse Entertainment have teamed with Netflix to produce this provocative adaptation that will bring my characters and concepts to an all new audience and yet still provide excitement and surprises for die-hard fans. I'm especially excited to see Abubakr Ali bring the character of Grendel/Hunter Rose to life — he has the charisma, style and vital edginess that I've been envisioning in the role for years.”

Grendel marks the latest collaboration between Netflix and Dark Horse. The streamer announced Umbrella Academy: Season 3 in November 2020, and we have some ideas for where the story is headed next. Netflix is also developing an animated adaptation of Stan Sakai's Usago Yojimbo comics dubbed Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.