Activision Blizzard CEO Calls Response to Harassment Suit Tone Deaf thewrap.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thewrap.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Activision workers plan walkout to protest sexism
Employees at Activision Blizzard planned a work stoppage on Wednesday to protest sexism at the U.S. video game company, according to a rallying cry echoing on social media.
A mobile version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is pictured. (Pixabay image via Courthouse News)
(AFP) Employees at Activision Blizzard planned a work stoppage on Wednesday to protest sexism at the U.S. video game company, according to a rallying cry echoing on social media.
The Activision Blizzard Walkout for Equality is to last through the work day, with a live event during lunch hours at the firm s campus in the Southern California city of Irvine.
Published on social media and on the game’s website, the statement appears to be the first public comment regarding the lawsuit although it does not explicitly or even obliquely reference the suit that has been made by any production team within Activision Blizzard. That’s in contrast to the company’s corporate communications department, which came out swinging with a statement on Wednesday that vehemently denied the allegations in the suit. It’s a statement that, not coincidentally, many current and former employees found “abhorrent and insulting.”
Multiple ex-Blizzard employees, including former executives such as senior vice president Chris Metzen and president and co-founder Mike Morhaime, have spoken out over the past week about the allegations made in the lawsuit. In statements published on social media statements with a tone that’s markedly different from that of Activision Blizzard’s official comments Metzen and Morhaime apologized for their roles in
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has released an official statement that was originally sent to all employees of the company. The statement concerns the recent lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. In the statement, Kotick apologises for not providing the “right empathy and understanding” and lays out five immediate actions the company is taking to improve the workplace.
The statement by Bobby Kotick was posted online on Activision’s investor page on July 27, 2021 and includes an apology, a review of the company’s policies, as well as five immediate actions the company will be taking to improve workplace safety. This statement comes a few days after it was reported that California is suing Activision Blizzard over sexual harassment and discrimination.
Activision sued for frat boy gaming culture
A spokesperson for Activision Blizzard, the maker of World of Warcraft and other well-known games, said the complaint includes distorted and false descriptions of events. Tuesday, July 27, 2021 11:33 PM UTC
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFHE) sued Activision Blizzard Inc., alleging the company encourages a “frat boy” culture where female workers received lower pay, were promoted more slowly than male counterparts and were fired more quickly.
According to the DFEH suit, female employees were subject to sexual and other derogatory comments and inappropriate behavior.
The suit noted that an agency for women is seeking an injunction and penalties under the California Equal Pay Act, including unpaid wages.