2021 was not a good year for Activision Blizzard thanks, largely, to multiple accusations of sexual harassment and toxic work practicies reaching all the way to the top of the gaming giant. One of the many side effects of this is the ongoing damage this is causing with many of Activision Blizzard's partners across the industry, most notably Sony and Microsoft. While neither has broken off its working relationship, Microsoft's head of Xbox Phil Spencer is saying the accusations is forcing Xbox executives to re-examine its working relationships much more closely.
Spencer spoke about the ongoing Activision Blizzard situation as part of a larger interview with The New York Times, via Pure Xbox. The interview largely focuses on how Spencer feels the online interaction planned as part of the Facebook Metaverse has already been pushed forward in the gaming space. This includes the innovations in online interaction, world building, and representation in the form of digital avatars which is likely to be commonplace in Mark Zuckerberg's new online space.
When asked about Xbox's relationship with Activision Blizzard, Spencer reiterated how he was "saddened and sickened" by the alleged toxicity inside the company. He said the allegations forced Xbox to change aspects of its working relationship with Activision Blizzard, though he did not go into detail about what said changes were. Spencer added while these will remain private, executives at Activision were made aware of the changes and appeared to be going along with Xbox's decisions.
Spencer went on to clarify Xbox was not "virtue-shaming" Activision with these changes, acknowledging Xbox's own spotty history. He did not go into detail but said it was important for employees to feel safe and "feel like they can report and talk about what's happening." Spencer then goes on to say instead of simply punishing companies for toxic workplaces, it was on Xbox using its place within these partnerships "to have an impact" on the partner company's workplace culture.
The comments by Spencer are just the latest in this ongoing situation which has engulfed Activision Blizzard since the summer of 2021. While several executives and developers under the Activision umbrella, including Treyarch, have denounced sexism and bullying in the workplace, it has not been enough to get the company back on track. Rather, the situation seems to only grow more complicated with multiple game delays and accusations in late 2021 against Activision CEO Bobby Kotick alledging he knew about the workplace toxicity and was also guilty of mistreatment. That said, Spencer's comments can be seen as offering a much needed glimmer of hope in changing the culture at Activision Blizzard and the games industry as a whole.
Source: Pure Xbox