Back in July, Activision Blizzard was hit with a damning lawsuit by the state of California. More specifically, the California Department of Fair and Equal Housing (DFEH). The lawsuit alleges that the company has fostered a toxic workplace for years, with harassment and abuse running rampant within Activision, particularly towards its women employees.
Naturally, Activision has been under intense pressure from the general public and its own employees (who went on strike shortly after news of the lawsuit broke) to make some serious changes into how the company operates. In a lengthy internal email sent out to employees, executive vice president for corporate affairs Fran Townsend laid out Activision’s plans and commitment to make meaningful and positive changes to the workplace.
The email has also been shared on Activision’s website and mentions that more than 20 individuals have already exited the company since the lawsuit was filed and following Activision’s own investigations. Another 20+ individuals have faced other kinds of disciplinary action. The email doesn’t share much else beyond that, such as whether these numbers include the likes of Luis Barriga and Jesse McCree, the respective former director and lead designer for Diablo 4, who were let go in August.
Aside from investigating internally submitted claims, Townsend adds that Activision is restructuring its Ethics & Compliance and Employee Relations teams to be more effective and efficient. This includes the promotion of Jen Brewer to senior vice president of Ethics and Compliance and tripling its investment in training resources. Townsend also assures that any internal reports of misconduct can be filed anonymously, and that Activision is working to be more transparent with its employees.
It’s worth remembering that Townsend in particular faced severe criticism over Activision’s initial handling of the lawsuit. In a leaked email, she described the lawsuit as being “meritless and irresponsible” and that it was using “factually incorrect, old, and out of context stories.” This apparently didn’t sit well with employees, especially since the now former president of Blizzard J. Allen Brack acknowledged the allegations. Afterwards, she stepped down as the sponsor of the ABK Women’s Network.
As for the lawsuit itself, it recently became a lot more complicated as the DFEH attempted to stop Activision from reaching a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which had been conducting its own investigation into the company. However, the EEOC turned around and proceeded to accuse the DFEH of ethics violations. While it’s far too early to tell how any of this will be resolved, it could potentially end with the original lawsuit being thrown out entirely.
Source: Activision Blizzard