Activision Blizzard Employees Stage Walkout and Demand CEO to Step Down - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 16 November 2021 / 2,338 Views
It was reported earlier today Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick knew for years about the sexual misconduct allegations at the gaming giant.
Employees following the release of the report have staged a walkout with over 100 employees in front of the company's Irvine, California campus, according to The Washington Post. One employee estimated about 200 people would participate in the walkout.
"There’s an article today that paints an inaccurate and misleading view of our company, of me personally, and my leadership," said Kotick in a memo to employees.
Kotick added, "Anyone who doubts my conviction to be the most welcoming, inclusive workplace doesn’t really appreciate how important this is to me."
A number of employees via Twitter said they will stop working Tuesday to protest and demand Kotick to step down and replaced with a new CEO. They also want the company to undergo a review by a worker-appointed third-party.
We have instituted our own Zero Tolerance Policy. We will not be silenced until Bobby Kotick has been replaced as CEO, and continue to hold our original demand for Third-Party review by an employee-chosen source. We are staging a Walkout today. We welcome you to join us.
— ABetterABK ? ABK Workers Alliance (@ABetterABK) November 16, 2021
Activision Blizzard is a statement to The Washington Post on the walkout said, "We are fully committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and rewarding environment for all of our employees around the world. We support their right to express their opinions and concerns in a safe and respectful manner, without fear of retaliation."
Senior test analyst for Battle.net Jessica Gonzalez told The Washington Post, "We all think Bobby’s not leading like he should be leading. He’s trying to do the minimum possible to get people off his back. I just don’t feel that he’s in touch with game development and having this weird crunch and exploitation of labor in this industry, it’s just not how you make a good product."
The report from earlier today says the co-head of Activision's Treyarch studio Dan Bunting was accused of sexually harassing a female employee in 2017 after a night of drinking and was recommended to be fired in 2019 after an internal investigation from the human-resources department and other supervisors.
Kotick intervened to make sure Bunting was not fired, according to people familiar with the incident. Bunting was given counseling and allowed to remain with the company.
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.
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But he took a pay cut, you guys!
Oh he's so kind.
Such a shame, he did so much for them!
:(
Blizzard employees could use some more crunch, they barely produce anything... 5-10 years for a product isn't normal.
The bell tolls for thee, Bobby.
time for a larger company to just buy him out. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
