The workplace harassment allegations against Activision Blizzard kick-started domino effect across the video game community. For many, these allegations brought attention to the awful culture perpetuating gender-based harassment within video game companies. After an intensive internal investigation, Activision Blizzard filed a report to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, detailing their findings.
Activision Blizzard states that since 2018, they have taken “progressively stronger, more decisive and coordinated” strides in reinforcing a diverse, professional, respectful company conduct. The allegations against them were taken seriously by launching a seven-month investigation issues with the assistance of experienced outside experts and advisors. While this investigation has forced Activision Blizzard to “recognize hard truth about the company”, Activision Blizzard’s concluded that they operated accordingly to the reported instances of harassment.
“…The Board and its external advisors have determined that there is no evidence to suggest that Activision Blizzard senior executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported. That work also has not unearthed any evidence, directly or indirectly, suggesting any attempt by any senior executive or employee to conceal information from the Board…Activision Blizzard senior executives responded in a timely manner and with integrity and resolve to improve the workplace. While there are some substantiated instances of gender harassment, those unfortunate circumstances do not support the conclusion that Activision senior leadership or the Board were aware of and tolerated gender harassment or that there was ever a systemic issue with harassment, discrimination or retaliation…”
The report continues on, stating that “appropriate disciplinary action” was given towards employees that violated their policies. Activision Blizzard continued, listing the series of reforms and improvements implemented across the company to improve compliance and pay equity in the workplace. According to Activision Blizzard, there is no room for anyone who does not practice their welcoming values in the company. Following that, Activison Blizzard called the “unrelenting barrage of media criticism” an attempt to paint the entire company and many innocent employees in a bad light. Activision Blizzard states that there has been no court finding, verdict, or ruling concluding the allegations to be true and efforts to interfere with the EEOC settlement have been denied six times. They countered that management have took the allegations seriously and investigated these appropriately, rather than simply ignoring them all.
“…We are not a company that looks the other way. We learn from our experiences to get better. And we are better and stronger and even more committed to an exemplary workplace because of the experiences of the last year. We will never stop investing in our people and processes to ensure we have the most welcoming, respectful, inclusive workplace as that is the surest way we will continue to attract and retain the most talented people in our industry and continue to delight our players as we have for three decades.”