Published , by Ozzie Mejia
Published , by Ozzie Mejia
The fallout from the summer's biggest gaming story continues, as Activision Blizzard looks to be stepping up its efforts to clean up its corrosive culture from within. The latest chapter in this continuing saga involves the firing of 20 individuals from within the company, as the company remains in the spotlight over widespread harassment and discrimination allegations.
"We call it as we see it," Activision Blizzard chief compliance officer Frances Townsend told the Financial Times. "It doesn't matter what your rank is, what your job is. If you've committed some sort of misconduct or you're a leader who has tolerated a culture that is not consistent with our values, we’re going to take action. The impact on the business is not a consideration."
Townsend declined to name any of the fired individuals, but notes that they include game developers and supervisors. She adds that patterns of misconduct, mainly at off-site gatherings, have led to the dismissals, while she also determined that one-off instances are being looked into, with workplace training recommended for the latter cases. An additional 19 full-time roles for the ethics and compliance team are being staffed as part of the company's efforts to root out any further problem cases.
Meanwhile, the state of California's case against Activision may be coming apart. Axios' Stephen Totilo notes that Activision has asked the courts overseeing its case to pause California's lawsuit, citing potential ethical violations on the part of the plaintiffs. If the courts agree with Activision's motion, the case could be dismissed outright.
At the center of this ongoing story remains Activision Blizzard employees, their demands, and what they have deemed an insufficient response from management. Townsend notes that further changes are coming, though she does not specify what those entail. Employees originally made their demands clear during a late July walkout. Shacknews is endeavoring to reach out to the coalition of employees at #ABetterABK for comment. For now, we continue to signal boost the following charities: Black Girls CODE, FUTURES, Girls Who Code, RAINN, Women in Animation, and Women in Games International.
The Activision Blizzard story continues to unfold on a daily basis. Keep it on Shacknews for the latest updates.