Gaming giant Activision Blizzard has been sued by the state of California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Bloomberg Law was first to report on the case. Activision Blizzard, the developers behind popular games such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, has allegedly fostered a toxic internal culture. This has normalized rampant sexual harassment and other discriminatory acts towards its female employees.
The Case Files
The official document details the state agency's two-year investigation. It states that:
“The Defendant's workforce is only about 20 percent women. Its top leadership is also exclusively male and white. The CEO and President roles are now – and have always been held by white men. Very few women ever reach top roles at the company. The women who do reach higher roles earn less salary, incentive pay, and total compensation than their male peers, as evidenced in Defendant's own records.”
Additionally, women have reportedly been subjected to “cube crawls”. This involves male employees drinking copious amounts of alcohol. They would then go through the office while engaging in inappropriate behavior towards female employees. Male employees were also said to come to work hungover, and play videogames extensively while passing responsibilities over to female employees. Activision Blizzard's high-ranking executives have also engaged in blatant sexual harassment without facing repercussions.
The company's Human Resources department also did not take remedial measures regarding complaints that they received. HR reportedly treated these complaints dismissively and they were not kept confidential. Due to this, complainants became subject to retaliation. The document also recounts a staggering amount of specified allegations.
The state agency seeks an injunction to force Activision Blizzard's compliance with workplace protections. This includes unpaid wages, pay adjustments, back pay, lost wages, and benefits for female employees.
Activision Blizzard's Response
Activision Blizzard replied with the following:
“The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past. We have been extremely cooperative with the DFEH throughout their investigation, including providing them with extensive data and ample documentation, but they refused to inform us what issues they perceived. The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today.”
This is not the only legal issue regarding rampant sexual harassment a prominent games developer has faced in recent months. Ubisoft is also currently under legal fire for similar allegations.
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