On Thursday, The Game Awards will be held, honoring the developers, publishers, and everyone in the gaming industry for a job well done this year. In TGA 2021, the best games of the year will be celebrated, and some new ones will also be revealed. However, one particular video game company will not be welcome at the event: Activision Blizzard. What is the reason why Activision Blizzard will not be part of The Game Awards 2021?
Geoff Keighley Tweets That Activision Blizzard “Will not be a part of this year's The Game Awards”
On December 3, Friday night, The Game Awards producer and main presenter Geoff Keighley tweeted: “Beyond its nominations, I can confirm that Activision/Blizzard will not be a part of this year's The Game Awards.” Activision Blizzard's Call of Duty has been nominated for Best Esports Game and Best Ongoing Game, and according to Keighley, that's as far as Activision Blizzard will come near this year's ceremonies. On top of that, Keighley also confirmed that Activision Blizzard's two upcoming games, Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV, will both not appear in TGA 2021.
If that's not definitive of TGA's stance towards Activision Blizzard, then we don't know what will be. Keighley's is the voice of The Game Awards, and he effectively represents the entire TGA. It's worth noting, however, that Activision President Rob Kostich remains part of TGA's advisory board.
TGA 2021 is taking a stand against Activision Blizzard
But this wasn't actually Keighley's initial response. Keighley drew flack from the internet when he told The Washington Post in an interview that he is thinking about how to “navigate” the situation with Activision Blizzard. He said that he wants to support employees and developers and that they have to think carefully about what to do from here. Of course, The Game Awards need to keep in mind the relationship it has with the top dogs over at Activision Blizzard, like the aforementioned Kostich. At the same time, it would have been turning away a large sum of money if they had to turn away advertising money for Overwatch 2 and Diablo IV, had it been offered at all.
Keighley's nuanced response was taken as fence-sitting by the people of the internet, however, who were quick to criticize the presenter's words. Many reminded him of the time when he had an impassioned speech during the 2015 The Game Awards for Konami's barring of Hideo Kojima from receiving his awards. People wanted Keighley to have the same bravado he did back then.
And so he did. “The Game Awards is a time of celebration for this industry,” Keighley writes in a follow-up tweet. “There is no place for abuse, harassment, or predatory practices in any company or community.”
“I also realize we have a big platform which can accelerate and inspire change. We are committed to that, but we all need to work together to build a better and a more inclusive environment so everyone feels safe to build the world’s best games. I also realize we have a big platform which can accelerate and inspire change. We are committed to that, but we all need to work together to build a better and a more inclusive environment so everyone feels safe to build the world’s best games.”
Gamers demand for more accountability, calls for Keighley to give similar statements to Riot, Ubisoft
But the world doesn't start and end with Activision Blizzard. The company's controversies might be at the forefront today, with Bobby Kotick being one of the hottest topics of gaming in recent weeks, but there is no shortage of gaming companies with a history of sexual abuse and harassment allegations. Top of these are League of Legends publishers Riot Games, as well as Far Cry‘s and Assassin's Creed‘s Ubisoft. Fans have been calling upon Keighley to give the same condemnation that he just gave to Activision Blizzard to either Riot or Ubisoft, depending on who you ask.
Whether or not Geoff Keighley makes a statement to condemn the said publishers would be beside the point. While these public declarations may affect stock values or public perception, these won't magically solve sexual abuse and harassment within the gaming industry. For real change to happen, people within the gaming industry will have to hold each other to higher scrutiny, holding each other with more accountability, and not allowing these crimes to go on with impunity. Cultures are hard to change, but cultures can be changed by external factors, like gamers banding together and calling out the wrongs of those in power.