Further developments have taken place since the news of the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard was reported in July.
It was announced on 3 August that J. Allen Brack has stepped down as the leader of Blizzard Entertainment, and will be replaced with Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra.
Blizzard Entertainment said they are both “deeply committed to all of our employees; to the work ahead to ensure Blizzard is the safest, most welcoming workplace possible for women, and people of any gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or background; to upholding and reinforcing our values” and to rebuilding their customer’s trust.
Two employees were named in the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard: Brack, and Alex Afrasiabi, the former senior creative director for World of Warcraft. Afrasiabi was fired in summer 2020 following an investigation into his misconduct.
On the same day, Activision Blizzard confirmed that Jesse Meschuk, who was the head of global human resources, no longer works with the company.
Both former and current employees said that HR had a reputation for dismissing complaints.
The leadership changes come after hundreds of employees staged a walkout to demand that Activision Blizzard “improve conditions for employees at the company, especially women, and in particular women of colour and transgender women, non-binary people and other marginalized groups” on 28 July.
The protest was supported by video game streamers and esports teams including Houston Outlaws, who did not post on social media while the walkout was happening.
Almost 500 current and former employees from Ubisoft signed an open letter addressed to the employees which said: “we believe you, we stand with you and support you”.
“It should no longer be a surprise to anyone: employees, executives, journalists, or fans that these heinous acts are going on,” the letter continued. “It is time to stop being shocked. We must demand real steps be taken to prevent them. Those responsible must be held accountable for their actions.“
Jeff Strain, a former senior employee with Activision Blizzard and founder of Undead Labs, also wrote a letter addressed to the video game industry entitled “It’s Time”, in which he gave “full endorsement and support to an industry wide adoption of unions”.
According to IGN, Coca-Cola and State Farm, two of the seven sponsors of Overwatch League are re-evaluating how they will work with the company in the future.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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