Blizzard has been a headline in the news for the better part of a year now, from the ongoing sexual assault and discrimination lawsuits to its recent takeover by Microsoft. In light of the recent acquisition, Head of Blizzard Entertainment Mike Ybarra released a progress report on what it has been doing to foster a better culture for its employees, and outlined a plan for how he planned to rebuild its reputation.
The letter itself reads as a New Year's resolution of sorts, admitting to the stumbles in the past, and committing to change in the future. It then goes on to detail its progress towards fixing Blizzard's toxic culture and promise continued change and communication.
“Our top priority—now and into the future—is the work we are doing to rebuild your trust in Blizzard.”
The bulk of the letter goes into detail about the initial actions it has taken towards this commitment. Ybarra outlines new full-time leadership positions with the purpose of cultural improvement, including a Culture leader, a Human Resources organizer, and a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion leader, with promises to staff their respective teams swiftly and sensitively. It has tripled the size of its compliance teams, and implemented an upward feedback program so employees can more easily evaluate their management without fear of retribution. Lastly, Ybarra promised he and the other Blizzard executives would see their compensation change to reflect the success of their inclusivity initiatives.
Ybarra left Microsoft to join Blizzard in 2019, though he will technically be returning to Microsoft once its acquisition of Blizzard finalizes next year. He was co-lead of Blizzard until recently, when his former fellow Co-Lead Jen Oneal resigned due to unfair pay and discrimination. Ybarra was also recently revealed to have participated in the sale of raid clears in World of Warcraft–a controversial practice that can foster elitism and encourage RMT.
Blizzard fans near-unanimously agreed talk is cheap, and were not impressed by Ybarra’s statement–further proof of its long road towards redemption. The accomplishments Ybarra outlined in the statement were dwarfed by the failures of itself and Activision, such as the parent company’s failure to recognize Raven Software’s new union, the Game Workers Alliance, and their hesitance to fire the corrupt CEO Bobby Kotick until the Microsoft deal is completed.
That said, Ybarra’s statement is still a sign of positive change. Blizzard had previously promised to maintain more open lines of communication–a promise it has ultimately kept by sharing updates like this or the ABK diversity breakdown for 2021. Despite more than a few steps back, Blizzard does seem to be taking steps forward as well. If Blizzard is to fully regain the good faith of its fans and employees like Ybarra promised, however, it will have to stop stumbling forward and start sprinting.
Source: Blizzard