Games Industry Reacts To Activision Blizzard Lawsuit as Multiple Games Sites Halt Coverage Of Publisher’s Games

Following the sex discrimination lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard, many game studios have made the decision to discontinue the supply of Activision Blizzard products until meaningful steps are taken to correct the issues. listed in the petition.

In case you missed it, earlier this week the California Department of Fair Work and Housing File a lawsuit against the gaming giant, claims that the company has allowed a culture of brotherhood to flourish, which in turn helps create an environment of harassment and discrimination against its female employees. For its part, Activision Blizzard has denied the claims made in the lawsuit, with Activision Blizzard moderator Fran Townsend calling the lawsuit “unfair and irresponsible.” in a memo to the staff after the news was released.

Bungie, developer Destiny which at one point was published by Activision Blizzard, shared some thoughts on Twitter, reaffirming its stance towards building a positive company culture. While it highlights that the company is far from perfect and says it is likely that people have experienced harassment at the company, Halo creators declare that they are “fully committed to “removing those harmful effects that would make marginalized individuals in the industry feel the risk.

Bungie is built on empowering our people no matter who they are, where they come from or how they define themselves. We have a responsibility to acknowledge, reflect, and do what we can to push back against the culture of harassment, abuse and inequality that exists in our industry.

– Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

It is our responsibility to ensure this type of behavior is not tolerated at Bungie on any level, and we never make excuses or brush it under the rug. , awareness and responsibility.

– Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

We have a zero-tolerance policy at Bungie for environments that support this toxic culture, and we are committed to working with them to protect those at risk.

– Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

Women, POCs and underrepresented communities do not benefit by reliving their trauma. We trust them when they make reports of abuse or harassment.

– Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

We don’t pretend that Bungie is perfect and that no one has ever been harassed while working here, but we will have zero tolerance and will confront it head-on. And we will continue to work every day to be better.

– Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

Our goal is to continue to improve the experience for everyone working at Bungie and do our part to make the entire gaming industry more welcoming and inclusive.

– Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

Since news broke regarding the allegations against the company, many websites have come forward to support those who have faced harassment and discrimination at not only Activision Blizzard but also at other companies in the game industry. As part of their desire to hold the company accountable, many gaming press sites have come out and announced that they will no longer cover Activision Blizzard products until the culture at the company improves.

The site includes many major stores, such as TheGamer, Escapist Magazine as well as Prima Games. For its part, Prima is including Ubisoft in suspending their coverage, citing similar sexual harassment claims made at the company over the past few years.

We will stop talking about Activision and Blizzard games until there are some real changes and this gas light ending. We will cover the current story continuously, but we will not cover the games. https://t.co/714h9qwBz7

– Kirk McKeand (@MckKirk) July 23, 2021

Following recent reports regarding allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination at Activision, Blizzard and Ubisoft, Prima Games is suspending coverage of all Activision, Blizzard and Ubisoft content until new announcement.

– Prima Games (@PrimaGames) July 23, 2021

In light of the horrific sexual harassment allegations brought against Activision Blizzard, we will be suspending any and all Activision Blizzard games for the remainder of the year, and presumably indefinitely, until the work culture is markedly improved.

– GameXplain (@GameXplain) July 23, 2021

Starting today, Escapist will not stream or cover any Activision Blizzard products until we hear of a meaningful change at the publisher. https://t.co/vrFXMaj7fm

– Nick Calandra (@nickjcal) July 23, 2021

PlayStation Lifestyle doesn’t stop covering games, but Activision Blizzard’s approach to how Activision Blizzard games will be covered will vary based on the lawsuit’s allegations. The Outlet states that “any potential future coverage” will be “reviewed through the lens of the lawsuit allegations.”

Many stores stopped offering Activision Blizzard games after a lawsuit alleges a “brother” culture. PSLS is also retreating, with any potential future coverage viewed through the lens of lawsuit allegations.https://t.co/12WE1miu7z pic.twitter.com/yUHxP0BOb1

– PlayStation LifeStyle (@PSLifeStyle) July 23, 2021

Like I said on Twitter earlier today as these reports begin to trickle from stores, this is not a small decision on the part of any site that chooses to take this stance. Since the majority of websites are funded based on ad revenue backed by traffic, by choosing not to include one of the biggest game publishers on the planet for any length of time , which will ultimately lead to lost traffic and, in the long run, money. This is not an empty stance towards any website involved in this. For our part, we will still cover Activision Blizzard games, although we also won’t give up reporting on the lawsuit and any news surrounding it. And, our last here at MMORPG, we will be choosing not to stream any Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft, or Riot games on our platform for the foreseeable future until we notice the difference. There is a clear and transformative change in the culture of these companies.