Activision Blizzard has been a studio responsible for many of the most iconic games in video game history, such as the Call of Duty franchise and World of Warcraft. However, recent stories have come out that encompass the toxic workplace environment at Activision Blizzard and how the employees in the company promoted sexual harassment and discriminatory behavior.
At first, the company tried to downplay the allegations, which only caused more unrest with the staff and caused many to walk out. In response to this, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick released an email addressed to the company's employees that outlined how the company plans to make changes moving forward to get rid of the "frat boy culture" in the workplace.
Unfortunately for Activision Blizzard, members of one of the company's investment groups, SOC, did not find the response adequate. SOC executive Dieter Waizeneggar stated that this updated response does not go into nearly enough detail to address the long-running issues of equity, inclusion, and human capital management that have been plaguing Activision Blizzard.
In a letter written by Waizeneggar addressed to a reporter from Axios, Waizeneggar calls for a female director to be placed on the board of directors for Activision Blizzard by the end of 2021. This in part to ideally create a gender balance on the board by 2025. Additionally, Waizeneggar wants to take bonuses away from the executives that have a history of abusive behavior. Waizeneggar also believes that the company should get rid of bonuses for 2021 and instead put that money towards reaching future diversity goals and creating a company-wide Equity Review program.
In addition, the SOC has stated that the company sides with the ABK Workers Alliance, a coalition created by Activision Blizzard Employees, in rejecting Activision Blizzard's choice of an auditor for the lawsuit. Instead, Activision Blizzard chose an institute law firm named WilmerHale, which in Waizeneggar's letter has a history of defending the wealthy and has shown no actual effort towards fixing wrongdoing in the companies it works for. Waizeneggar also believes that the lead investigator for the case does not have a reasonable amount of experience dealing with investigating workplace harassment and abuse.
It will be interesting to see if Activision Blizzard will finally make the necessary changes after backlash from one of its own investors. However, it is also great to see that the SOC is firmly standing with the Activision Blizzard workers on this case and putting human rights over profit. Now it is up to Activision Blizzard to make the best choice for everyone.