Bobby Kotick admits original response to Activision Blizzard backlash was \u201ctone-deaf\u201d Wikimedia Commons\/Steven SimkoActivision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has apologized for the company\u2019s \u201ctone deaf\u201d initial response to the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a Californian state department. Kotick has also called for a third-party investigation into the company\u2019s policies. Activision Blizzard\u2019s \u201cpervasive frat boy culture\u201d was exposed in a July 21 lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) following a two-year investigation. The 29-page lawsuit detailed several instances of sexual harassment and discrimination against women in the workplace on a systemic level. They were paid less than their male counterparts for the same positions, and offered promotions at a slower rate. The company\u2019s initial statements called the allegations \u201cdistorted\u2026descriptions of Blizzard\u2019s past\u201d. However, as more employees came forward with their own experiences, current and former executives apologized for the culture fostered at the company. CEO Bobby Kotick apologized for the \u201ctone deaf\u201d statement \u2014 following in the footsteps of Blizzard president J. Allen Brack and Activision president Rob Kostich. \u201cOur initial responses to the issues we face together, and to your concerns, were, quite frankly, tone deaf,\u201d he said in a July 27 company-wide letter. \u201cIt is imperative that we acknowledge all perspectives and experiences and respect the feelings of those who have been mistreated in any way. I am sorry that we did not provide the right empathy and understanding.\u201d Kotick promised the company would make five changes effectively immediately, including providing more employee support when filing harassment claims and removing inappropriate in-game content \u201cWe are taking swift action to be the compassionate, caring company you came to work for and to ensure a safe environment. There is no place anywhere at our company for discrimination, harassment, or unequal treatment of any kind.\u201d Exact examples of in-game content being removed were not given by Blizzard, but it is understood some NPCs from games like World of Warcraft have either been renamed or removed entirely. Activision Blizzard opens third-party investigation Kotick also announced that a third-party investigation would examine Activision Blizzard\u2019s current policies and procedures \u201cto ensure that we have and maintain best practices to promote a respectful and inclusive workplace\u201d. The review will be conducted by law firm WilmerHale and led by Stephanie Avakian, a former SEC director in the Division of Enforcement. \u201cYou have my unwavering commitment that we will improve our company together, and we will be the most inspiring, inclusive entertainment company in the world,\u201d Kotick said to round out his letter. Activision Blizzard\u2019s employees will be staging a walkout on July 28, with at least one-third of the company expected to take part after signing an open letter demanding better conditions for workers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bobby Kotick admits original response to Activision Blizzard backlash was \u201ctone-deaf\u201d Wikimedia Commons\/Steven SimkoActivision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has apologized for the company\u2019s \u201ctone deaf\u201d initial response to the sexual harassment lawsuit filed by a Californian state department. Kotick has also called for a third-party investigation into the company\u2019s policies. Activision Blizzard\u2019s \u201cpervasive frat boy […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78326","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78326","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78326"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78326\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78326"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78326"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dejan.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78326"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}