Activision Blizzard Executive Vice President for Corporate Affairs Frances Townsend revealed in a letter to employees (available for public reading) that over 20 individuals have been fired, in addition to a similar amount who'll remain at the company but have been sanctioned, for their behaviour on the workplace.
Ongoing Investigations: Nothing is more important to me - and the entirety of Activision Blizzard leadership - than making sure everyone feels safe and equal in this workplace. There is no place for harassment, discrimination, or retaliation in this company.
In recent months, we have received an increase in reports through various reporting channels. People are bringing to light concerns, ranging from years ago to the present. We welcome these reports, and our team has been working to investigate them, using a combination of internal and external resources. Based on the information received in the initial report, they are assigned into different categories, and resources are allocated to prioritize the most serious reports first. In connection with various resolved reports, more than 20 individuals have exited Activision Blizzard and more than 20 individuals faced other types of disciplinary action.
We continue to look into any issues or reports raised through the many channels that are available. But it bears repeating: Reports can be submitted anonymously, and there is zero tolerance for retaliation of any kind.
This is, of course, directly connected to the multiple reports of harassment and discrimination that plagued Activision Blizzard in the past months. Those ultimately led to lawsuits (even though they're becoming messy, to say the least) and an ongoing investigation by the SEC.
Townsend told the Financial Times that there will be no quarter going forward for any such behaviours at Activision Blizzard.
It doesn’t matter what your rank is, what your job is. If you’ve committed some sort of misconduct or you’re a leader who has tolerated a culture that is not consistent with our values, we’re going to take action.
The company is also planning to triple their investment in training resources, though whether that'll be enough to make a meaningful change remains to be seen.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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