Diablo IV game director Luis Barriga, Blizzard lead level designer Jesse McCree (who's also the creator of the Diablo's cowboy hero's name) as well as D2R Items World of Warcraft designer Jonathan LeCraft have all been removed by the business, Activision Blizzard has confirmed the news with GameSpot. The news was first announced by Kotaku.

The publication's sources said Activision Blizzard didn't specify why the three developers were sacked from their posts, and Activision's official statement provides little information. But, the departures occur after a court case in California that filed against the gaming giant that claimed that the company had in a culture of widespread discrimination against women and harassment.

"We can confirm Luis Barriga, Jesse McCree, and Jonathan LeCraft are no longer employed by The company" an Activision Blizzard spokesperson stated. "We are blessed with a vast and talented team of developers in place and new leaders have been named as necessary. We're confident about our ability to continue progress in delivering amazing experiences to our players, and push forward to create a secure and productive workplace for everyone."

Jesse McCree is of particular mention, as he was one of many former and current developers who were featured in the now infamous "Cosby Suite" image that made the rounds in the latter part of July. Jonathan LeCraft also appears in the picture, as does Blizzard lead game developer Cory Stockton. As per Kotaku, Stockton was placed on leave earlier this month but remains at Blizzard.

It's unclear whether McCree's name is going to be removed in Diablo however Blizzard's World of Warcraft team recently committed to cheap D2R Ladder Items removing "not appropriate" references from its game.