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LEGO delays Overwatch 2 set amid Activision Blizzard controversy

Activision Blizzard's myriad issues have led LEGO to delay its Overwatch 2 set.

Donovan Erskine

January 11, 2022 10:55 AM

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LEGO is a leading merchandise brand, collaborating with the biggest properties in entertainment to deliver themed sets for fans to add to their collection. One of the company’s upcoming sets is themed around Overwatch 2, the highly-anticipated sequel to Blizzard’s generation-defining first-person shooter. However, the allegations of harassment and mistreatment, as well as lack of accountability from Activision Blizzard leadership has led LEGO to delay the upcoming set and rethink its partnership with the video game company.

LEGO announced the delay of its Overwatch 2 set earlier today, as reported by Yahoo Finance. The set was originally supposed to be released this February, but has been delayed indefinitely. In case there was any confusion surrounding the reason behind the delay, LEGO confirmed that it’s the direct result of the internal problems at Activision Blizzard.

“We are currently reviewing our partnership with Activision Blizzard, given concerns about the progress being made to address continuing allegations regarding workplace culture, especially the treatment of female colleagues and creating a diverse and inclusive environment,” the company said.

LEGO doesn’t just cite the allegations and legal trouble that Activision Blizzard has been met with, but its failure to take affirmative action and make the necessary changes to fix its workplace. It’s an issue that’s been brought up several times by workers association ABetterABK. With no new release window and a lack of recent communication from Activision Blizzard on new policy changes, it will likely be a long time before we see the LEGO Overwatch 2 set get released, if at all.

LEGO is just one major company that’s had to reflect on its own relationship with Activision Blizzard in recent months. Both PlayStation’s Jim Ryan and Xbox’s Phil Spencer echoed a similar sentiment back in 2021. Stay with Shacknews for future updates on the Activision Blizzard situation.

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_