The gaming industry was rattled last week when it was revealed that the state of California would be suing Activision Blizzard over allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination. Countless stories of mistreatment and harassment were shared by past and present employees of the gaming company. Following this news, some of the major executives at the company came forward with responses, addressing the allegations. Now, a new open letter, which has been signed by over 1000 Activision Blizzard employees, calls the company’s response to the controversy “insulting” and “abhorrent.”
In the letter, Activision Blizzard employees call the recent statement from executive vice president for corporate affairs Frances Townsend “abhorrent and insulting.” The employees then call for Townsend to resign from her position as executive sponsor of the ABK Employee Women’s Network.
In the open letter, Activision Blizzard employees emphasize that the words and actions of their higher ups are not reflective of their own beliefs. We will be sure to update this story if Activision Blizzard releases an official statement in response.
Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_
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