Activision Blizzard is in hot water as emboldened employees speak out about workplace conditions. In a letter to its employees, Activision Blizzard's CEO Bobby Kotick claims it will do everything it can to "build the kind of inclusive workplace that is essential to foster creativity and inspiration." While this may sound like a positive step forward, it is doing so by working with the distinguished law firm known as WilmerHale. This law firm has a history of union busting, and is currently working with Amazon to prevent its workers from unionizing. Needless to say, this choice has drawn extra attention to the situation.
While it's impossible to say whether Activision Blizzard is sincere in its desire to make its workplace better for its employees, it can't be denied that, like any business, it's primary focus is money. The massive developer spared no expense in choosing its legal representation, and it's difficult to separate WilmerHale's union busting reputation from Activision Blizzard's recent anti-union sentiments.
The video game industry as a whole has come under fire recently for promoting unhealthy work environments. Between numerous claims of sexual harassment within major video game developers and publishers, a veritable pandemic of harmful crunch culture, and other issues, many gamers feel as though it's time for some serious reform. Unionizing is one way that the employees of Activision Blizzard could ensure their voice would be heard, but actually forming a union is becoming harder and harder with each new development.
The employees of Activision Blizzard came together and issued a response to this letter, and although it doesn't mention WilmerHale by name, it does list off some other issues that were left unaddressed. These include concerns about pay transparency and notably a call for "employee selection of a third party to audit HR and other company processes." These are the exact types of things that WilmerHale could help Activision Blizzard fight against, but there's really no telling what Activision Blizzard's true plans are.
The rhetoric shared by Activision Blizzard makes it seem as though WilmerHale is being brought on to improve HR in the company and provide employees with better resources to address issues. If this does end up happening, it would be a major step forward for employees. Given the slew of allegations towards Activision Blizzard and other issues, it's understandable that both employees and onlookers might be a bit weary, though. At any rate, this battle is far from over, and WilmerHale's entrance is sure to mix things up.