Activision Blizzard Lawsuits And Investigations

Activision Blizzard Lawsuits And Investigations

The anti-discrimination lawsuit the state of California filed against Activision Blizzard in July has only grown more serious over time, with allegations of harassment and worker intimidation related to unfair labor practices. So much has happened since the suit was brought forward that it can be difficult identifying the various pieces and the implications it has for the company--and its workers and ex-workers. Below we try to give a brief timeline of the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, tracking the beginning through to its more recent developments, including an investigation by the SEC.To get more news about buy wow gold paypal, you can visit lootwowgold official website.

Things kicked off on July 21. The California Department of Fair Housing and Employment ("DFEH") filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, alleging that the company "fostered a sexist culture" in which women were paid far less than men and people of color experienced instances of discrimination. The suit goes on to say that sexism has "plagued the male-dominated gaming industry for decades," and brings forth this legal action to "remedy, prevent, and deter" Activision Blizzard from violating California's civil rights and equal pay laws. Within the lawsuit are some salary breakdowns of the highest-paid executives at the company to illustrate the vast pay disparities, as well as examples of harassment that employees reportedly faced.

In the wake of the lawsuit, Activision Blizzard executives--from president J. Allen Brack (more on that later) to a former World of Warcraft designer and others--have addressed the allegations and apologized for the company's initial statement, their complicity in workplace behavior, or both.

Thousands of Activision Blizzard employees signed an open letter condemning how the company responded to the lawsuit. And to take that criticism further, workers staged a massive walkout on July 28 to protest what they called an "abhorrent and insulting" response from the publisher. In solidarity with Activision Blizzard employees, Ubisoft workers penned a letter to their publisher decrying the "frat boy" culture at Activision Blizzard and Ubisoft's negligence to make substantial changes amid its own allegations. In response to criticism over one of Activision Blizzard's initial statement, CEO Bobby Kotick issued an internal letter calling "tone deaf."

Much like employees tired of the games industry's rampant discriminatory and harassing behavior, a few media outlets and livestreamers have begun protesting Activision Blizzard in the wake of the lawsuit by no longer covering its games. This includes news sites The Gamer, GameXplain, and Prima Games, as well as World of Warcraft content creators (though their reasons are different).