Activision Blizzard are being sued by the state of California after serious claims were being investigated over a toxic work environment and sexual harassment.
Activision Blizzard is facing a sizeable lawsuit after a two-year investigation by the state of California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
What is Happening at Activision Blizzard?
Yesterday, a report from Bloomberg broke that Activision Blizzard was being investigated and sued by the state of California due to claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, and a toxic work environment. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing suggests that female employees are, "subjected to constant sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation" which has been echoed amongst former employees on social media.
This comes on the heels of Blizzards' lack of support for its LGBT community during pride month and Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick taking a 50% pay cut. The court document lays out a compelling case that highlights Activision's lack of diversity in both its workforce and leadership and a wage gap between men and women.
Some of the shocking stories include a harassed employee taking her own life after co-workers targeted her for harassment. The culture was described as "frat-boy" several times and provides a list of discrepancies based on both gender and race.
What is Next for Activision and the Industry?
The gaming industry has long had issues with sexist, racist, and unprofessional behavior which are all highlighted by this lawsuit. Ideally the lawsuit provides both closure and a place for Activision Blizzard to reform itself as one of gaming's biggest videogame publishers on the planet.
The claims in this suit are both serious and credible, and content creators on social media have had varying reactions to the news. Call of Duty Warzone streamers such as Morgan "MorganMonoxide" Page have pledged to stop supporting Activision titles until the situation is resolved.
Amid calls for a boycott, Activision's spokesperson issued a statement reiterating their support for diversity and inclusion and pledged to take the "allegation seriously and investigate all claims." As soon as we learn more about the lawsuit and how this will affect Activision further we will update this story with new details.