Multi-state treasurers are looking into allegations of misconduct by Activision Blizzard
Pressure on Activision Blizzard is mounting as state treasurers from California, Illinois, Oregon and others are calling for action.
Many state treasurers joined to put pressure on the building Call of Duty publishing company Activision Blizzard after the company was accused of having a “sister-brother” environment, rampant sexual harassment in the workplace and unfair pay. The desire for change has grown since the initial news broke in July.
The gaming world was shaken when the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) announced it was investigating Activision Blizzard, the company behind Call of Duty, Overwatch, and other hugely popular titles. DFEH accused the publisher of alleged misconduct and sexual assault. Activision Blizzard initially denied these allegations and just two weeks ago announced it was siding with its CEO. This has been much disappointing to its workforce, who have organized walk-ins and launched petitions demanding that Activision Blizzard be held accountable for its actions.
Now, treasurers from California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon, Delaware and Nevada are looking for the company to take action. “We think the company needs to make sweeping changes,” said Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs. With state treasurers involved, the game publisher is now facing pressure from those willing to spend billions of dollars to trigger corporate change. Treasurers have joined others in bringing down chief executive Bobby Kotick and the company’s response to the allegations, believing the current board has no “skills” or “trust.” to transform their culture, and has since requested a meeting on December 20 to launch a follow-up investigation. Looks like Activision Blizzard wants to keep everything in-house, as it recently took shape Workplace Accountability Committee in addition to its own Board Members.
This is not the first time that heavyweight supporters have shared that they are shocked by the allegations Activision Blizzard is facing. The three major console makers Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony have all spoken out against Activision, workplace harassment and sexual misconduct. Xbox boss Phil Spencer joins the chorus of big names in the industry criticizing Activision Blizzard, saying the platform owner is “evaluating all aspects of the game” [its] relationship” with the publisher. Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser also spoke out, emailed all Nintendo of America employees, sharing a malicious practice that is the opposite of what Nintendo stands for.
More than twenty Activision Blizzard employees have been fired directly as a result of the controversy and many more have chosen to leave Activision Blizzard to take a stand against known harassment. Bobby Kotick, Activision CEO, has been accused of being aware of a “twin-sister” environment and actively offending those who seek to speak out against it. Calls for his resignation have since built and more than 1,000 employees have signed on petition calling for Kotick to leave the company. The six treasurers are also backing this, although at least for a minute Kotick is holding his ground.
The source: Axios
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https://gamerant.com/activision-blizzard-state-treasurers-investigation/ Multi-state treasurers are looking into allegations of misconduct by Activision Blizzard
