This is a studio that in July the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) singled out for boorish, boyish stereotypes in a 29-page lawsuit that argued that the executives of Activision Blizzard grew a “pervasive frat boy workplace culture” and allegedly perpetrated or ignored inequality and sexual harassment. The suit filed against Santa Monica-based Activision Blizzard lays bare the gross inequalities that have long plagued a male-dominated industry
This may be one of the most important entertainment lawsuits ever filed - and no one seems to care The perception today is the company places the goals of its executives and shareholders ahead of the needs of its staff and the players, turning a blind eye to calls for improvement and even viewing them as a nuisance. He built a behemoth, but one that is now the target of multiple lawsuits and a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.
Kotick, CEO since 1991, has had two decades to mold the game company he wanted, to lead a path out of gaming’s crude early stereotypes. This is not an isolated incident or two, a single regrettable lapse in judgment. So while many in the game industry gasped in the wake of new revelations of Kotick’s failure to deal with what occurred behind closed doors - Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO and President Jim Ryan was quick to express “deep concern” while Microsoft’s Xbox chief Phil Spencer said he is “ evaluating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard” - the board of directors at Activision dismissed the reports and released a statement pledging allegiance to Kotick’s ability to implement “industry leading changes.” Not just anyone can run a company estimated to be worth more than $50 billion. But, hey, what is staff if not a depository for hopefully empty threats? Activision Blizzard is, apparently, a special place, a Southern California company home to increasingly middling but perennial hit “Call of Duty” games and the fantasy standby that is “World of Warcraft.” If only such a policy were offered to non-CEOs - you know, the folks not accused in a newspaper report of allegedly leaving a death threat to an assistant in a voicemail. Judge us not for the environment that we have built and that has surrounded us for multiple decades, but instead for tough-sounding zero-tolerance guarantees we make for the future. Going forward, we should all request the repercussions-free Bobby Kotick treatment when meeting with our supervisors. Imagine such a world, where forward-looking statements and stern pledges could virtually erase a lawsuit and revelations from multiple news outlets, including this paper, Bloomberg, the Washington Post and most recently a Wall Street Journal investigation that showed Activision Blizzard’s chief executive led the management of a toxic workplace culture rife with sexual harassment and inequities. If only Activision’s board of directors could handle all of our performance reviews.
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