One of the biggest gaming news stories of 2021 is the California lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for gender discrimination. The details that have emerged from the two-year investigation are disturbing, to say the least, and the fallout has been ongoing. Along with continual new lawsuits against Activision Blizzard, sponsorship droppings, firings within the company, and more, other organizations have made strong stances against the video gaming behemoth. Nintendo can be now be added to that list, as the President of Nintendo of America recently released a response to the situation.

Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser took over the position in 2019 for fan-favorite Reggie Fils-Aime. Bowser has not taken center stage as often as Reggie did during his tenure. But he appears to have taken a strong leadership stance in relation to the ongoing Activision Blizzard situation, calling it "distressing and disturbing."

RELATED: Activision Blizzard Shareholders Ask Bobby Kotick to Resign

According to Fanbyte, Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser recently sent out an email to all Nintendo of America employees and internal development teams, including the likes of Retro Studios and Next-Level Games. In the email, Bowser shared how the toxicity and sexual harassment within Activision Blizzard runs counter to what Nintendo stands for. He also noted that Nintendo is a company that stands for openness and inclusiveness, and that it even is working with the ESA to strengthen its stance against harassment and abuse in the workplace.

Doug Bowser with Bowser

Along with all of you, I’ve been following the latest developments with Activision Blizzard and the ongoing reports of sexual harassment and toxicity at the company. I find these accounts distressing and disturbing, They run counter to my values as well as Nintendo’s beliefs, values and policies.

Nintendo is not the first major game company to make a statement and a stance against the behavior of the publisher. Recently Xbox's Phil Spencer said that Xbox is evaluating its relationship with Activision Blizzard. PlayStation Chief Jim Ryan recently weighed in as well, expressing his personal disapproval, as well as and Sony's. In the past, companies like Coca-Cola, Kellogg, and State Farm pulled advertisements from Overwatch due to the lawsuits. Time will tell what kind of stance Nintendo, Sony, and Xbox will have outside of lip service.

While things have been hot at Activision Blizzard since the summer, recently employees and fans have signed petitions to remove Bobby Kotick as CEO of Activision Blizzard in light of new reports. The Wall Street Journal, specifically, reported that the CEO knew about sexual harassment claims and acted in his own self-interest and protected the alleged abusers. This is partially why Sony, Xbox, and now Nintendo have made new statements on the matter.

MORE: Blizzard Co-Lead Jen Oneal Was Only Offered Equal Pay After Resigning

Source: Fanbyte