Activision Blizzard Leadership Subpoenaed by New SEC Investigation - News

by William D'Angelo , posted on 20 September 2021 / 1,839 Views

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has started its own investigation into how Activision Blizzard handled employee allegations of sexual misconduct and workplace discrimination, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Activision Blizzard and members of its leadership including CEO Bobby Kotick have been subpoenaed. The SEC is requesting documents including board meetings dating back to 2019. This is to review communications among leadership regarding complaints from employees.

An Activision Blizzard spokesperson said the publisher was cooperating with the SEC. The SEC has also asked for personnel files for some former employees and details of agreements struck with the former staff.

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing in July filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over what is described as a "frat boy" culture at the video game giant. Female employees are subjected to constant sexual harassment, unequal pay, and retaliation, according to the lawsuit.

Since the lawsuit was filed Blizzard president J. Allen Brack has stepped down with Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra now co-leading the company.

Diablo IV game director Luis Barriga, lead designer Jesse McCree, and World of Warcraft senior designer Jonathan LeCraft have also been let go.

A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel dedicated to gaming Let's Plays and tutorials. You can contact the author at wdangelo@vgchartz.com or on Twitter @TrunksWD.