Activision Blizzard's notoriety has gained it unparalleled detestation in the gaming industry. Having received condemnation from the big three console manufacturers, Activision Blizzard is losing friends in the industry left and right. Even though it has one of its Presidents as part of The Game Awards' advisory board, that didn't stop Geoff Keighley from barring Activision Blizzard from TGA 2021.

Hence, people were expecting Keighley to use his platform on The Game Awards to speak up against the game industry giant. When he took the stage during the opening of the ceremony, people were expectant. And when he did his TGA 2021 opening speech, he did speak up. Speaking to a live crowd in the Microsoft Theater, he says:

“The games we love are nothing without amazing developers, and that's why we do this show: to honor the creator of games… Game creators need to be supported by the companies that employ them… Let me just say this before we get into any of the news, announcements, rewards; we should not and will not tolerate any abuse, harassment, and predatory practices by anyone, including our online communities. We all love games, and if we want this industry to keep growing, we must build an even brighter and inclusive future.”

He then shared TGA's anti-harassment online and text hotlines. His opening speech was met with applause but wasn't satisfactory for many. Indeed, a lot were expecting him to directly call out Activision Blizzard, the same way he called out Konami in previous years. While it's good that these issues are discussed on a platform as big as The Game Awards, but we all know that Keighley could have done more with his platform. So, thank you Geoff, but we still have a lot of work to do.