Everything that's happened since the Activision Blizzard lawsuit went public
Everything that's happened since the Activision Blizzard lawsuit went public
A breakdown of the entire Activision Blizzard story so far and one lawyer's perspective on what's next.
On July 20, California's Department of Fair Employment and Home Affairs filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard that collected "a large number of complaints about unlawful harassment, discrimination, and retaliation" at the firm. Employees DFEH spoke to said Activision Blizzard had a "child-child" culture that was "a site of harassment and discrimination against women". Since then, more than 3,000 Activision Blizzard employees have spoken to the administration on behalf of victims and
Tuesday, August 3: Blizzard president J. Allen Brack splits from his mission as studio head. He was replaced by a pair of supportive leaders, Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra. Oneal joined Blizzard in early 2021 after five years as studio head of Vicarious Visions, which merged with Blizzard in January. Ybarra has served as Blizzard's vice president of platform and technology since November 2019.
Bloomberg broke the news that Blizzard's head of HR, Jesse Meschuk, is also no longer with the firm.
Employees issued a statement denying Activision Blizzard's review of the policies and procedures of law firm WilmerHale, saying it "has a history of discouraging labor rights and collective action."
During Activision Blizzard's quarterly grossing call, CEO Bobby Kotick states there's room for harassment at the firm, saying "People will be held accountable for their actions." After the call, Blizzard employees stated on social media that Activision Blizzard had not yet accepted the submissions made prior to the July 27 strike.
Monday, August 2nd: The T-Mobile branding has been removed from the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League websites. There was no casual comment on whether the difference was relevant to the case.
Sunday, August 1st: Activision Blizzard executive Fran Townsend sparks further deliberation by tweeting a post titled "Whistleblowing Issue" and then banning employees on Twitter.
Friday, July 30: Vice, a penetration test from cybersecurity
That same day, Waypoint writes about an Activision Blizzard IT employee who installed spy cameras in the unisex bathroom at the business's Minnesota office. He pleaded guilty to "interference with privacy" in 2018.
IGN is also releasing a report that endures visits with seven current and former employees who spoke about a range of issues at Blizzard, including the different evaluation of women from men and, at one point, unlocked breastfeeding rooms. An employee is a business
Thursday, July 29: The New York Times publishes an investigation into Activision Blizzard, with new public accounts of sexual harassment and discrimination. An employee at the company from 2014 to 2017 said that she was paid less than her boyfriend doing the same job, and that a manager sent him a message on Facebook asking what kind of porn he watched.
Another woman, who joined Activision as vice president in 2011, said an executive pressured her to have sex with her "because she deserved a little fun" after her boyfriend died weeks ago.
Wednesday, July 28: Employees strike at Blizzard HQ, while others participate in a remote work stoppage. Employees also respond to CEO Bobby Kotick's letter, which states that "they are pleased to see our shared voices…convincing leadership to change the tone of their communications" but Kotick's "failed to address critical elements at the center of employee concerns." The response echoes Tuesday's four requests. "Today's strike will show that this is not a one-time event that our leaders can ignore. We will not return to silence, we will not settle for the processes that have brought us to this point," the letter said.
Game developers in the industry share messages of solidarity with the strike.
Kotaku has released a report on Blizzard's "Cosby Suite," a recurring convention party room where Afrasiabi and other employees are texting about bringing in "hot chixx." Greg Street, a former World of Warcraft lead systems designer and current Vice President of MMO R&D at Riot, seen in a photo, claims that his hotel room was "a green room at Blizzcon for most of us back then. relax" and that "hot chixx" was a joke.
Activision Blizzard confirmed to Kotaku that Alex Afrasiabi was terminated in 2020 "for misconduct towards fellow employees."
Tuesday, July 27: The World of Warcraft team announces it's planning to remove "inappropriate" references from WoW, possibly including items related to NPCs and Alex Afrasiabi.
Employees say they are contemplating layoffs Wednesday to protest the business' response to the lawsuit. The clear letter has passed 3,000 signatories Activision Blizzard has approximately 9,500 employees. Business interruption bills gain with four offerings:
Ending necessary arbitration in employee contracts
More miscellaneous recruiting and hiring apps
Publication of price information, promotion rates and wage ranges
An enterprise-wide Spectrum, Equivalence and Inclusive mission effort with authorization to hire a third-party business to challenge Activision Blizzard
On Tuesday afternoon, CEO Bobby Kotick wrote a public anecdote to employees, describing the firm's initial response as "sound deaf," and said, "We are taking swift action to be the caring, caring firm you come to work with and to provide a safe environment. No discrimination, harassment, or random harassment anywhere in our firm." There is no room for unequal treatment of the same sex."
Kotick's letter announces urgent steps to investigate allegations, hold listening sessions, make personnel changes, enforce various recruitment practices, and replace inappropriate in-game content.
"Anyone found to interfere with the integrity of our processes for evaluating claims and imposing appropriate results will be terminated."
Monday, July 26: Activision is holding an "all-out" get-together with room for just 500 staff. Administrator Joshua Taub is reportedly trying to address the case, saying there is "zero tolerance" to the stance described in the lawsuit, and that Activision Blizzard is working with employees and perpetrators to "work on a solution." Taub also says that Fran Townsend's answer is "not the right contact".
More than 1,000 current and former Activision Blizzard employees signed an open letter to management describing Townsend's statement as "disgusting and humiliating for everything we believe our company should stand for." The employee statement continues: "Our values as employees are not fully reflected in the words and actions of our leadership... Categorizing allegations as 'distorted and in many cases false' creates an atmosphere of denial of victims... Corrections are being made immediately. It is needed at the highest level.”
The letter ends with a statement that the employees "stand by all our friends, teammates and colleagues, as well as members of our dedicated community who have been subjected to any form of abuse or harassment."
Signatures from current and past continue to come.
Saturday, July 24: Chris Metzen, former Blizzard senior vice president, tweeted that "We failed and I'm sorry" on the case.
Friday, July 23: Fran Townsend, chief compliance officer at Activision Blizzard, sent a very different message to staff, saying the EU portrayal in the case was "warped and wrong" and that Activision Blizzard "really values equality and fairness". Townsend said that when he joined the executive leadership team in March 2021, he was confident he was "joining a company where I will be valued, respected, and offered opportunities equal to those provided by the company's people." Townsend echoes the initial response that the case's allegations are false.
Mike Morhaime, co-founder and former president of Blizzard, published my "Thoughts", saying, "I wanted to thank the ladies who have had dire experiences. I heard you, I believe you, and I am so tragic that I let you down."
A video from BlizzCon 2010 went viral on Twitter. During a WoW session Q&A, a woman asks about the possibility of less sexualized female personalities. Panelists, including Alex Afrasiabi and current president J. Allen Brack, laugh and joke in response.
Thursday, July 22: Blizzard president J. Allen Brack emailed staff to say the behavior detailed in the team was "totally unacceptable." Activision president Rob Kostich emails staff, describing the allegations as "extremely disturbing" and says "as a business, we take every claim seriously."
Wednesday, July 21: The news that the case has been opened has arrived. In a statement sent to PC Gamer and other media outlets, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said the lawsuit contained "distorted and in many cases false, disclosures of Blizzard's past" and that the DFEH was "required by law and required to adequately investigate and have "We had good faith conversations with us to better understand and resolve any claim or concern prior to going to court, but they were unable to do so. Instead, they rushed to file a false complaint, as we will show in court."
Tuesday, July 20: The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sues Activision Blizzard alleging discrimination and sexual harassment against women in the workplace. The lawsuit cites “cube sweeps” in which drunken male employees subject women to unwanted advances; lack of women in leadership positions; unequal pay for women; and HR's failure to take action against many of these complaints. The lawsuit also specifically cites the actions of former WoW senior creative director Alex Afrasiabi, who was "allowed to engage in blatant sexual harassment with little or no backlash."
What should we expect from the case itself?
The Fair Employment and Housing Department's lawsuit has started a public swirl for Activision, but a court hearing could take weeks or months if the case goes to a hearing.
"I don't see either case as a real case," attorney Kellen Voyer told PC Gamer, referring to DFEH's lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, as well as its lawsuit against Riot Games. "Typically, the parties will reach agreement when the respondent has a better idea of the strength of the case and the evidence brought by the state. The negative press available . . . the trial."
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The DFEH news page shows a number of settlements from the past three years, to resolve discrimination and harassment cases, for sums ranging from $50,000 to $6.2 million. Voyer points out that a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the state is stronger than a lawsuit from an individual, in part because it's public rather than private arbitration. (Ending mandatory arbitration in Activision Blizzard contracts is one of the requests listed by employees participating in the July 28 layoff.)
Because DFEH's investigation into Activision Blizzard must have been going on for some time, Voyer says the lawsuit is a way to force Activision Blizzard into a settlement. The DFEH application requests a jury trial, but this is standard practice and does not exclude the possibility of a possible settlement before the trial begins.
“Activision Blizzard will fight tooth and nail to avoid [a trial], as I expect a jury (especially in California) to fall hard for the company,” Voyer says. "There might be a deal before it gets to that stage."
Going after a company as big as Activision Blizzard gives DFEH a chance to put on a public show; Even if there isn't strong enough evidence to force the company into a multi-million-dollar deal, it could have significant consequences.
“Making a company example will drive change, hopefully through deterrence, even through litigation and the negative PR that has arisen for the company: by letting companies know that there are real, material, consequences for their failure to address a toxic culture,” says Voyer.
It is still possible for this case to go to court. If he does, the DFEH will likely push for hefty fines and pressure Activision Blizzard to put itself on probation as it enacts its plans to repair workplace problems.
If Blizzard wins at the trial, it will likely not seek monetary compensation and, in Voyer's words, "the usual corporate, general promise of 'we will change and do better'".