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Activision Blizzard walkout 'will not be placated by the same processes that lead us to this point'

Employees at Activision Blizzard have released a new statement following letter from CEO Bobby Kotick.

Donovan Erskine

July 28, 2021 10:02 AM

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It’s been a monumental week for Activision Blizzard, and the video game industry as a whole. Following the news that the state of California would be suing the massive video game company, thousands of its employees came forward to call out management in an open letter. The controversy led to a public statement from CEO Bobby Kotick. Activision Blizzard walkout organizers have released a new statement that takes direct aim at the words of the CEO.

Employees at Activision Blizzard released their new statement on July 28, 2021, which was shared on Twitter by Axios reporter Megan Farokhmanesh. The letter is a direct response from the statement issued by Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick on the evening of July 27. In the new letter, employees call out Kotick for failing “to address critical elements at the heart of employee concerns.” Employees list the following concerns that still need to be addressed:

• The end of forced arbitration for all employees.
• Worker participation in oversight of hiring and promotion policies.
• The need for greater pay transparency to ensure equality.
• Employee selection of a third party to audit HR and other company processes.

This all comes just ahead of the walkout that’s taking place both in-person at the Blizzard campus in Irvine, California, as well as virtually. “We will not be placated by the same processes that led us to this point,” the statement reads.

The new statement from Activision Blizzard employees is just the latest chapter in the ongoing protest against the company. This goes back to last week when it was announced that the state of California would be pursuing a lawsuit against the company over allegations of harassment and discrimination. To learn everything there is to know about the situation, visit the Activision Blizzard topic page on Shacknews.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

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_