Meanwhile, Blizzard Entertainment Chief Legal Officer resigns from the company.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has opened an investigation into Activision Blizzard as per a WSJ report. The SEC investigation will focus on how Activision Blizzard handled allegations of sexual misconduct, discrimination and a toxic workplace environment. The game developer is facing a lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, filed in July with these allegations. The SEC has subpoenaed several high-ranking Activision Blizzard executives, including CEO Bobby Kotick.
Activision Blizzard spokesperson, Helaine Klasky, confirmed the investigation to The Wall Street Journal. She also said the company was cooperating with the investigation. This investigation is focused on the company’s timely disclosures of the allegations to its investors.
Blizzard Chief Legal Officer Resigns
Claire Hart, the Chief Legal Officer at Blizzard Entertainment has announced her departure from the company, first reported by Invenglobal.
The past three years have been full of unexpected twists and turns, but I feel honored to have worked with and met so many great people at Blizzard and across the Activision Blizzard businesses. I'll be taking a short break before making my next move. Stay tuned
Hart’s resignation is just the latest in a string of high-level departures from the company. She follows J. Allen Brack, Luis Barriga, Jesse McCree and Jonathon LeCraft, all of whom left the company in the span of a few months.
The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Activision Blizzard for a toxic workplace environment. Blizzard offices facilitated gender discrimination, abuse and harassment according to the California employment agency. Blizzard offices featured cube crawls, where men would move from one workstation to the next groping female employees. Men joked about rape and women had to contend with lower pay and benefits compared to their male counterparts.
Over 1500 former and current employees staged a walkout on July 28 demanding better working conditions and equality.
The Communications Workers of America, a labor union, filed a complaint earlier this month, accusing Activision Blizzard of intimidating employees and violating labor laws. The Overwatch League lost several sponsors as one of the fallouts of the lawsuit. Esports.gg will keep you updated on the outcome of the lawsuit as well as investigations into the company's handling of the same.
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