More allegations about Activision Blizzard have emerged this week following the recent lawsuit filed by the State of California alleging pervasive discrimination and harassment against women at the World of Warcraft maker.
More than 2000 current and former Activision Blizzard employees signed a petition calling the company’s response to the recent discrimination lawsuit “abhorrent and insulting”.
Activision Blizzard’s initial public comment on the lawsuit was to strongly deny its claims. An email then sent to staff by Activision Blizzard executive Fran Townsend, who was the assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism to George W. Bush from 2004 to 2008, has been heavily criticised by staff.
Amid a significant share price fall, Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick told staff the company’s initial response was “tone deaf”. Hundreds of employees staged a walkout on Wednesday at Blizzard’s Irvine, California headquarters, with many more virtually taking part around the world.
In the days since, more disturbing allegations have emerged.
CONTENT WARNING AHEAD.
An IGN feature published this week contains allegations from Activision Blizzard staff that back up much that is alleged in the State of California’s lawsuit. According to IGN, women avoided drinking events at Blizzard because of their reputation, and circa 2015, women were subjected to inappropriate touching in the chest area and elsewhere in Blizzard’s main office.
Activision Blizzard told IGN Blizzard implemented a two drink limit at company events in 2018.
IGN also reports that at one point, a room at Blizzard designated for breastfeeding didn’t have locks, with one source saying “men would walk into the breastfeeding room. There was no way to lock the door. They would just stare and I would have to scream at them to leave”.
IGN said breastfeeding rooms now have locks on the doors.
Waypoint reported that Blizzard recruiters asked a security researcher if she “liked being penetrated”, among other inappropriate comments, at a job fair in 2015.
Two years later, Blizzard contacted a security company at which the researcher in question was chief operating officer.
The CEO of the company, Jeremi Gosney, wrote a scathing response to Blizzard outlining the incident, issuing three conditions upon which the two companies could work together. One of these was charging Blizzard a 50 percent “misogyny tax”, the proceeds of which would be donated to Women in Technology International, Girls in Tech, and Girls Who Code.
Gosney took to Twitter last night to say “Blizzard had no interest in agreeing to our conditions”, and “they still owe” the COO a formal written apology.
Blizzard declined to comment.
Meanwhile, Waypoint reported that in 2018, a former Activision Blizzard worker installed cameras in a bathroom at the company’s sales and quality assurance office in Minnesota with the intent to spy on employees while they used the toilet. The employee was given a suspended prison sentence.