Activision Blizzard has been taking a beating on all sides for a while now, both financally and legally. Central to the misfortunes befalling Activision Blizzard are two major factors: the gross overpay of its executives, particularly CEO Bobby Kotick and the mistreatment of its employees, particularly when it comes to sexual misconduct towards female employees. With ongoing lawsuits filed from multiple parties and a dropping playerbase across the board, some employees have decided that enough is enough on all fronts.
Activision Blizzard employees are staging a walkout in protest of CEO Bobby Kotick, demanding that he be replaced. This walkout comes in the wake of a Wall Street Journal article published today claiming that Kotick knew about the sexual misconduct going on at Blizzard and did nothing. According to the workers, they will not be silent in their outspoken resistance to company policy and Kotick's continued employement until he is replaced by an employee-chosen candidate. This is certainly a bold demand, considering employees rarely have much choice in the CEO of a company as big as Activision, but with a previous walkout and an unfair labor practice lawsuit under their belts, it's clear ABK's employees are done with inaction.
As of this article, it is unknown how long the walkout will last and whether the workers in question will return at all before Bobby Kotick is removed or a compromise is reached. At this point it would very much be in Activision's interest to reach some sort of compromise, since Activision Blizzard's stock has dropped amid game delays and the ongoing controversy. More delays as the result of workers walking out will not help the company or its shareholders.
This is, of course, only the latest in the ongoing ABK scandal, coming after harassment lawsuits and longstanding problems with the company's business model. Bobby Kotick has long been criticized for his decisions regarding Activision Blizzard's workforce (mass layoffs) and the massive bonuses he was paid. The paycut Kotick gave himself recently did not change these feelings, it seems.
It's important to remember that Activision Blizzard falling apart hurts its employees much more than its executives, but they have already been hurt a great deal. Of the over $1 billion Activision Blizzard made last quarter, it's likely not much of that went to its rank and file, at least not if its habit of firing employees to present larger numbers is any indication. Here's hoping this walkout manages to enact real change.