If the legal case in which Activision Blizzard has been immersed for almost a year now has been less publicized lately, it is not exempt from regular news. Most recently, the company’s management chose to once again oppose the allegations made against it, citing the “in-depth review” it claims to have conducted with several outside advisers.
Activision Blizzard maintains its position
While many sources both internal and external to the company originally indicated that the company had allowed a “Frat Boy Culture” to develop, which consists of men within a company acting as if they don’t It was only between men, and this without paying the slightest attention or empathy towards the other minorities around them, the management completely denigrates any responsibility in the so-called “toxic” environment in which the employees were evolving until then. The director himself, Robert “Bobby” Kotick, had even been implicated in troubling cases.
Recently, PCGamesN discovered that Activision Blizzard had conducted its own investigation into these allegations. The result is rather clear for the leaders who believe “that there is no evidence to suggest that senior Activision Blizzard executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to cover up gender harassment proceedings that allegedly took place and were reported“.
More so, management has even chosen to turn directly against the media dealing with the matter so far by denouncing the media criticism suffered by the company’s board and senior executives as “unfounded“. For her, “senior managers responded in time and with integrity and determination to improve the quality of life in the workplace“. The company recognizes, however, that sexist harassment has already existed within it, but it completely denies having been aware of it, and even more to have retaliated against those who complained about it. She ultimately asserts that “there is no evidence that such a systemic problem” would have already existed at Activision Blizzard.
In the continuity of this rather risky position, let’s face it, the management of ABK denounced a “incessant media barrage of criticism” which would depict the company (and its many innocent employees) in the guise of what would in reality concern only a tiny part of it, recalling moreover in passing that those responsible for these acts would have suffered disciplinary sanctions .
The firm in fact pleads in a way for the right to make mistakes by minimizing the situation a little: “We learn from our experiences to improve. And we are better and stronger and even more involved in creating an exemplary workplace because of the experiences we have had over the past year.“.
The responses fuse, the situation stagnates
This new position echoes the recent unionization of some of the employees of Activision Blizzard King, officially recognized by the American state, and therefore openly counters the criticisms made by this new union. This management choice is in fact the continuation of the one that the company has been maintaining for many months now, having even asked investors to vote against the establishment of an annual report on harassment in the company.
In response, the group A Better ABK openly denounced the comments made by these officials, pointing the finger “an incredible lack of respect for the victims of bullying“. He affirms that the company would have been perfectly aware of the actions of which it is accused and that it would have done nothing at best to put an end to them, at worst found excuses for the employees responsible for these misdeeds.
After weeks of relentless struggle, employees of Activision Blizzard’s Raven Software studio have finally won their case with the National Labor Relations Board. Their union is now officially recognized by the American state and is called Game Workers Alliance!