Skip to main content

New top story from Time: ‘Cube Crawls’ and ‘Frat Bro’ Culture: California’s Huge Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Alleges Yet Another Toxic Workplace in the Video Game Industry

https://ift.tt/3yfcRU7

On July 20, California filed an explosive workplace discrimination and harassment lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, publisher of immensely popular video games including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and the Call of Duty franchise. It has resulted in a shockwave of response from employees, other games studios and players.

The lawsuit alleges a “frat bro” culture was allowed to flourish in the office, creating an environment in which women were sexually harassed and discriminated against in advancement and compensation decisions.

Activision Blizzard is one of the largest video game publishers in the world, owning studios who have created and released some of the most popular titles over the past decade. Its 2016 acquisition of Candy Crush publisher King, expanded its audience by millions more. As of this year, the holding company has 435 million monthly active users worldwide and reported a net revenue of over $2 billion in the first quarter of 2021.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]

The lawsuit, filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), and initially reported by Bloomberg Law, marks the latest round of accusations in the gaming industry of abusive behavior being ignored, tolerated or outright participated in by upper management within prominent game studios. But this lawsuit is also potentially precedent setting, as the DFEH might be keen to make an example of one of the largest video game companies in the industry, according to The Washington Post.

Here’s what to know about the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, and what it reveals about accusations of rampant workplace abuse in the video game industry.

 

What does California’s lawsuit allege?

Court documents claim to reveal a culture of gender discrimination at Activision Blizzard that invaded nearly every aspect of the work experience for women at the company, who make up only about 20% of the 9,500 employees, including “compensation, assignment, promotion, termination, constructive discharge and retaliation.”

A two-year investigation by DFEH concluded that the company allowed a “frat bro” culture to take hold, according to the lawsuit, and create an environment that allowed sexual harassment to subsist with impunity. Widespread complaints from women included their appearance regularly commented on and being groped by male employees, as well as being pursued romantically by male supervisors.

In the most extreme case of alleged employee abuse, one woman killed herself on a company trip after being subjected to sexual harassment, according to the lawsuit.

The DFEH investigation also uncovered that women were less likely to be promoted, were more likely to be terminated, and were consistently paid less for performing the same work (or more work) than male employees. Complaints of unequal pay for women resulted in the holding company’s hiring of legal counsel for analysis of compensation multiple times, but no corrective action was taken, according to the court documents.

The lawsuit also alleges that women of color were particularly vulnerable to discrimination at Activision Blizzard. One Black woman reported it took her longer than men hired after her to be made a permanent employee. This employee and another Black woman both reported being micro-managed about their time, with one woman claiming her manager made her write a one-page summary of how she would use time off. Both women left the company as a result of the discriminatory treatment.

The lawsuit claims women who reported concerns were not only unsupported by HR, but their complaints were also not kept confidential, resulting in retaliation which included being unwillingly transferred to another unit, being cut out of work projects, and being laid off.

According to the documents, this frat house work environment included “cube crawls,” in which male employees would drink “copious amounts” of alcohol, crawl through cubicles and behave inappropriately toward women in the office.

Only two individuals were named directly in the lawsuit: Blizzard President J. Allen Brack and Alex Afrasiabi, a former creative director for World of Warcraft. Documents claim Afrasiabi’s widespread harassment was not only witnessed by supervisors, but widely known enough that his hotel room during a company event was nicknamed the “Crosby Suite” [sic] after Bill Cosby. Since the controversy of the lawsuit drew attention last week, the company told Kotaku in a statement that Afrasiabi had already been fired for mistreatment of other employees in the summer of 2020.

 

How did Activision Blizzard respond?

An official response from Activision Blizzard stated that the DFEH included “distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past,” and accused the agency of rushing its report.

Brack sent out a mass email to employees on July 22 condemning the discriminatory behavior, and stated that he disdains “bro culture” and has “spent [his] career fighting against it.”

Activision Blizzard executive Fran Townsend pushed back against the DFEH’s allegations in an email to employees on July 23, stating that the suit presented “a distorted and untrue picture of our company.” She called the lawsuit “meritless and irresponsible.”

 

How has the lawsuit impacted Activision Blizzard employees and the games industry?

Activision Blizzard employees circulated an open letter on July 26, calling Townsend’s statements “abhorrent and insulting.” Afterwards, hundreds of employees held a walkout at Blizzard’s Irvine campus, demanding greater pay transparency, employee participation in determining hiring and promotion practices, the option to select a third party HR auditor, the ending of forced arbitration, and other changes. The open letter was signed by over 2,000 current and former employees, according to CNN.

 

On July 27, Bobby Kotick, Activision Blizzard’s CEO backtracked on the company’s initial response, which he called “tone deaf,” and promised quick action to address discrimination and harassment claims with the assistance of law firm WilmerHale.

“It is imperative that we acknowledge all perspectives and experiences and respect the feelings of those who have been mistreated in any way,” Kotick stated. “I am sorry that we did not provide the right empathy and understanding.”

While Kotick said WilmerHale was hired to address systemic issues, it has also been reported that WilmerHale has a reputation for being a union-busting firm. A public response from employees noted that Kotick did not address the other demands of the walkout.

Game developers around the world have shown their support for the workers of Activision Blizzard. Most notably, over 500 employees at Ubisoft, which owns the Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry franchises, among others, signed an open letter standing in solidarity. Employees at Ubisoft, who have recently been witness to their own whirlwind of harassment accusations, expressed a desire for industry-wide change.

Some games media outlets and players have thrown support behind outraged Activision Blizzard employees as well. News sites including The Gamer and Prima Games have opted to discontinue covering Activision Blizzard games. Some Twitch streamers and players also chose to participate in a boycott of Activision Blizzard games in order to support the walkout.

 

How widespread are workplace harassment claims in video games?

The details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit sound disturbingly familiar to many past and recent allegations of workplace abuse within prominent video game studios.

Employees of Riot Games, best known for its League of Legends franchise, walked out in 2019 in response to the company’s persistent sexual harassment allegations, as well as its policy of forced arbitration. An extensive Kotaku report unveiled the company’s fraternity-like culture, which included eerily similar allegations to the Activision Blizzard lawsuit. While Riot has since made efforts to alleviate its workplace issues, the company was also subjected to a $10 million settlement paid out to female employees after being sued by the state of California.

Ubisoft, another massive developer and publisher, came under fire last year after public sexual harassment allegations were made, criticizing a toxic work environment the company allowed to fester. Although some executives at the company were fired for inappropriate conduct, the aforementioned letter sent by employees from 32 Ubisoft studios demands further accountability. It states the company “only fired the most public offenders” and that the culture at Ubisoft has not sufficiently evolved.

Claims of sexual harassment and toxic workplaces have sprung up around many other games studios. In 2019, Warner Bros. Interactive’s NetherRealm, the studio behind the Mortal Kombat franchise, was accused of cultivating a toxic work environment rife with fraternity-like culture and abusive worker practices.

Reports of senior employees behaving inappropriately have also been a problem at other studios, such as Gearbox, where CEO Randy Pitchford has received multiple accusations of varying types of misconduct, some of which have been dismissed by courts. David Cage, the studio head of Quantic Dream, maker of Detroit: Become Human, was accused in 2018 of making sexist and racist comments, as well as fostering an environment that tolerated sexual harassment, according to Polygon.

While Activision Blizzard’s lawsuit details arguably some of the most disturbing consequences of unchecked sexual harassment, and seems poised to set a precedent as a landmark gender discrimination case, it also mirrors allegations within the games industry as a whole. If one of the largest video game makers in the world can draw such a large public lawsuit, it could embolden other agencies and employees to expose work abuses that have remained hidden for years.

 

If you or someone you know may be contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line. In emergencies, call 911, or seek care from a local hospital or mental health provider.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Destination San Francisco: Muni Gets You to All the Sights

Destination San Francisco: Muni Gets You to All the Sights By 39 Coit servicing Coit Tower at Telegraph Hill – one of the routes that will be returning in August 2021 as part of Muni’s next service changes. San Francisco is reopening and the  SFMTA is supporting economic recovery by providing Muni access to 98% of the city.  By August 2021, a majority of our pre-COVID routes will be back in service connecting residents and visitors with world-class shopping and dining experiences, off-the-beaten-path local flare, diverse neighborhoods and almost boundless outdoor activities.  Shops, Markets & Dining in Diverse Neighborhoods  Virtually every neighborhood in San Francisco has its own boutique shopping and dining experiences, as well as unique farmers markets showcasing local shops and amenities....

Safer and Easier Parking in Every City-Owned Facility

Safer and Easier Parking in Every City-Owned Facility By Pamela Johnson Parking at any of our 22 city-owned facilities is now easier and safer than ever. Late last month we completed the Parking Access Revenue and Control Systems (PARCS) project. This four-year effort replaced aging parking equipment with modern technology and significant operational upgrades. Customer using new PARCS kiosk at North Beach parking garage Patrons will notice enhanced lighting, new wayfinding signs, audible alarms, cameras, gate arms, and payment machines with two-way digital intercoms . Behind the scenes is an all-new parking management system and 24/7 command center, connected to every machine. Can’t find your ticket to pay for parking?  No worries! Thanks to license plate recognition technology, cameras located at every facility’s entrance capture patrons’ plate numbers as they arrive . If a customer loses her ticket, the manager is able to re-issue a ticket based on her license plate...

Muni Service Changes Starting June 13

Muni Service Changes Starting June 13 By Mariana Maguire Beginning Saturday, June 13, the SFMTA will increase Muni service and frequency, add select routes into service and extend some current routes to continue to support essential trips. A key goal of these service increases is to support the community’s economic recovery by providing more connections to neighborhood commercial districts as businesses begin to reopen. We are also adding more frequent service on targeted routes to help address crowding and improve onboard physical distancing. These service changes will improve transit access through Chinatown, SoMa and the Excelsior neighborhoods, identified by the Muni’s Service Equity Strategy as neighborhoods that rely on transit service the most based on the percentage of households with low incomes, private vehicle ownership and race and ethnicity demographics. Although Muni continues to be for essential trips only, many people have no choice but to use transit to r...

New top story from Time: ‘We’re Nowhere Close to the Deal’. Coronavirus Aid Package Talks Break Down as Trump Rejects Help for Cities

https://ift.tt/3098lHW WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed Democratic demands for aid to cash-strapped cities in a new coronavirus relief package and lashed out at Republican allies as talks stalemated over assistance for millions of Americans. Another lawmaker tested positive for the virus. Republicans, beset by delays and infighting, signaled a willingness to swiftly approve a modest package to revamp a $600 weekly unemployment benefit that’s running out. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., roundly rejected that approach as meager, all but forcing Republicans back to the negotiating table. Without action, the aid expires Friday. “We’re nowhere close to the deal,” said White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. He said they’re “miles apart.” Stark differences remain between the $3 trillion proposal from Democrats and $1 trillion counter from Republicans, a standoff that is testing Trump and Congress ahead of the November election and putting...

How Improving Muni Also Makes Life Better for Drivers

How Improving Muni Also Makes Life Better for Drivers By Andrea Buffa Photo credit: We Ride Australia If you mostly drive to get around San Francisco, you may be wondering, “what has the SFMTA done for me lately?” San Francisco is a “ transit first ” city, so at the SFMTA we focus our resources on making it easier for San Franciscans to get around by public transit as well as by biking, walking and personal mobility device. While it may seem like adding transit lanes and protected bike lanes doesn’t have anything to do with driving, in fact, it does.  Since San Francisco doesn’t have room to give more space to roads, we have to change the way we use the limited space on our existing streets. (Not that adding more roads reduces traffic anyway – check out this article .) City Traffic Engineer Ricardo Oleo puts it this way: “When you have a city like San Francisco that was built with density in mind, having everyone drive is not a viable option. There’s not enough room to have th...

FOX NEWS: 6-year-old girl died after theme park ride operators failed to buckle her in: report A new report revealed the apparent cause of a tragic accident at a Colorado theme park earlier this month.

6-year-old girl died after theme park ride operators failed to buckle her in: report A new report revealed the apparent cause of a tragic accident at a Colorado theme park earlier this month. via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/39Ix5eg

Residents Overwhelmingly Support Slow Streets

Residents Overwhelmingly Support Slow Streets By Eillie Anzilotti After over a year of Slow Streets providing safe, low-volume corridors for people to walk, bike, play and travel during the pandemic, we’re excited to share our first comprehensive evaluation of the program . The key takeaway? San Franciscans are overwhelmingly in support of Slow Streets. Slow Streets are designed to limit through traffic on certain residential streets and allow them to be used as a shared roadway for people traveling by foot and by bicycle. Since introducing Slow Streets in April 2020 in response to the Mayor’s Emergency Health Order, SFMTA has designated around 30 corridors covering 47 miles of roadway as Slow Streets. The program has evolved from a critical component of San Francisco’s pandemic response and recovery to a potential new avenue to further the city and SFMTA’s goals around climate action and sustainable transportation. As the Slow Streets program has grown, we wanted to make sure we...

New top story from Time: 1 Million People Have Died of COVID-19. It’s a Reminder That We Still Have So Much to Do

https://ift.tt/2S7i3Wv With an ever-climbing tally of COVID-19 infections, deaths, and calculations about how quickly the virus is spreading, the numbers can start to lose meaning. But one million is a resonant milestone. According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center , the world has now lost one million lives to the new coronavirus. It’s easy to draw analogies— one million people dying of COVID-19 would be the equivalent of just over the entire population of a country like Djibouti, or just under the populace of Cyprus. Perhaps more sobering would be to think of that number less as an entity and more in terms of the precious individual lives it represents. It’s a chance to remind ourselves that each of those deaths is a mother, a father, a grandmother, a grandfather, a friend, a loved one . It’s also a warning to learn from these deaths so they haven’t occurred in vain. When the novel coronavirus burst into the world last winter, the best virus and public h...

Last Chance - 2022 Muni Service Network Survey Closes October 1, 2021

Last Chance - 2022 Muni Service Network Survey Closes October 1, 2021 By Mariana Maguire SFMTA staff talks with customer about 2022 Muni service options at farmer’s market pop-up event. The SFMTA recently introduced three options for increasing Muni service in early 2022. We launched efforts to get community input on them, including a brief survey that closes Friday, October 1. If you haven’t taken the survey yet, there are still a few days left! You can find the survey link at SFMTA.com/2022Network. We’ve received more than 4,000 survey responses so far and a few hundred calls to our hotline and feedback to our TellMuni@SFMTA.com email. You can also provide feedback on the shortened J Church route and changes to the 23 Monterey, 57 Parkmerced, 35 Eureka and 48 Quintara/24th Street by contacting TellMuni@SFMTA.com or 415.646.2005. All three alternatives to increase Muni bus service in early 2022 have the same amount of total bus service – they’re just arranged differently. Th...

Sunday Streets Returns October 17, with Phoenix Day

Sunday Streets Returns October 17, with Phoenix Day By Pamela Johnson For 13 years, the SFMTA and Livable City have brought "Sunday Streets" to San Francisco neighborhoods. Sunday Streets encourages communities to transform miles of car-congested streets into car-free spaces for neighbors to gather, kids to play, and for organizations and businesses to connect. On October 17, 2021, after more than 18 months of Covid-related shutdowns, Sunday Streets Phoenix Day will again bring free recreational activities, resources, and fun to the streets for tens of thousands of San Franciscans to enjoy. While Sunday Streets was celebrated in one neighborhood at a time in the past, this year's Phoenix Day spans various districts in the City for a simultaneous celebration of community, health, and resilience. This year's theme is "One City. One day. Rising together.”  Highlights this year include historic Sunday Streets SF routes, a 20+ mile community bike ride, three neighb...