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[kingfey]

Activision Blizzard is facing a new sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit | VGC

The publisher’s legal troubles continue to mount…

www.videogameschronicle.com

Activision Blizzard has been hit with a new lawsuit containing fresh allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination.

Attorney Lisa Bloom filed the suit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday on behalf of a current employee referred to as ‘Jane Doe’, Bloomberg Law reports.

“For years, Activision Blizzard’s open ‘frat boy’ environment fostered rampant sexism, harassment and discrimination with 700 reported incidents occurring under CEO Robert Kotick’s watch,” the lawsuit reads.

Doe, who joined the company in 2017 as a senior administrative assistant in the IT department, claims she was regularly pressured to drink alcohol and participate in lewd games.

She also says female employees were regularly subjected to sexual comments and groping by male colleagues during alcohol-fuelled ‘cube crawls’ around the office.

Doe alleges that complaints about excessive drinking and sexual advances made by her supervisors were explained away as “leadership being nice and trying to be friends with her”.

She also claims to have been told not to air her concerns due to the reputational damage it could have on the company.

Having failed in multiple attempts to escape to a new job in a different department, Doe says she was eventually offered another role with a lower status and a significant salary decrease, after complaining directly to ex-Blizzard president J. Allen Brack.

The studio’s former leader left the company last August, weeks after Activision Blizzard was hit with a lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which accused the company of failing to handle sexual harassment and discrimination against female employees.

She also says her November 2021 application for an executive assistant position was rejected after she spoke out about her experiences at the company during a press conference the following month.

Doe is seeking a number of court orders including the introduction of a rotating HR department to combat conflicts of interest and the firing of Activision Blizzard CEO Kotick.

Activision Blizzard recently said it’s having problems attracting new employees and retaining existing ones, and that its recruitment struggles are likely to be exacerbated by ongoing litigation and bad press.

It was announced in January that Microsoft intends to purchase Activision Blizzard in a $68.7 billion deal – the game industry’s biggest ever by some distance.

Kotick is reportedly expected to leave the company once the Microsoft deal closes.

 

[mansoor1980]

is phil spencer deeply disturbed by this?

 

[UnNamed]

In US, say HI to a girl is harassment.

In latin countries, you fuck colleagues in the workplace.

 

[kingfey]

is phil spencer deeply disturbed by this?

This shit is too deep at this point. He might regret this purchase, since these thing wont stop now after the purchase.

 

[Nautilus]

While there is easy money to be made, this will never end.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

 

[Dural]

In US, say HI to a girl is harassment.

In latin countries, you fuck colleagues in the workplace.

Yep.

A buddy of mine is from Bolivia and the things he's told me are pretty insane.

 

[NickFire]

I just don't know what to think of these companies anymore. On the one hand, there can be easy money for asserting these claims. On the other hand, the companies that deny them often have questionable ethics when it comes to preying on people with MTX and their marketing departments. And then we have some people claiming they work almost to death with crunch. But others claim the workplace is a booze fueled house of sexual harassment.

My advice - they are all tech companies. They have the money and know how to put security cameras in the workplace and keep the records. No more he said she said. Record everything.

 

[Zeroing]

This shit is too deep at this point. He might regret this purchase, since these thing wont stop now after the purchase.

Quite frankly, between the lawsuits, the things MS might need to give up for the deal be approved…the lack of attracting workers for the studios…

it seems they overpaid and it’s not a good deal as Phil thought it would be.

 

[Pejo]

Bros, why are Activision Blizzard employees so god damn sexy? People apparently just can't help themselves when they're around an AB employee.

 

[AJUMP23]

Who are these leaders that treat people like this?

 

[mansoor1980]

Who are these leaders that treat people like this?

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

In US, say HI to a girl is harassment.

In latin countries, you fuck colleagues in the workplace.

There’s clearly a limit between being creepy and demeaning and simply hitting on a woman, but yeah, “don’t dip your pen in company ink” sounds almost mental in vast parts of Europe - yet.

I once read a report from doctors about the prospect of dating patients. Apparently it’s a big no-no for the majority in the US, with few exceptions like those living and working in small towns. Someone just commented, “You WILL be sued”.

That said, the stories about Activision are one too many to ignore. It’s odd though, #metoo is old enough now that you’d guess “the boys” woulda stopped with this at least a good 3 years ago at the worst. Everyone is at risk and literally any behavior can be twisted to mean something offensive. You’d figure almost every dick-bearing person would be walking on eggshells on the workplace, all day every day.

 

[Bragr]

I wanna know how often these cube crawl things happened, sounds so weird.

 

[kingfey]

Quite frankly, between the lawsuits, the things MS might need to give up for the deal be approved…the lack of attracting workers for the studios…

it seems they overpaid and it’s not a good deal as Phil thought it would be.

Its MS. People like them dont care about $68b, when they can make that money back in 1 year. Its like spending $550 on a ps5, but you are getting the money back again from your next paycheck.

Rich people just want the assets.

 

[kingfey]

I wanna know how often these cube crawl things happened, sounds so weird.

Its mostly employees talking around jokingly. But sometimes, you get idiots going overboard. I had interaction like that with couple of workers. Sometimes, it feels weird, just listening to them talk like that.

 

[Jennings]

I feel like I read about this one already.

She was hired in 2017, way past Blizzard's glory days. Blizzard needs to go back to the work environment that produced Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, and Star Craft. Everything since has been downhill.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I just don't know what to think of these companies anymore. On the one hand, there can be easy money for asserting these claims. On the other hand, the companies that deny them often have questionable ethics when it comes to preying on people with MTX and their marketing departments. And then we have some people claiming they work almost to death with crunch. But others claim the workplace is a booze fueled house of sexual harassment.

My advice - they are all tech companies. They have the money and know how to put security cameras in the workplace and keep the records. No more he said she said. Record everything.

There just has to be images and videos floating around out there. People record EVERYTHING. Present them.

 

[akaFullmetal]

Sounds like they ran the place like Mad Men.

 

[Ogbert]

I am so bored of American women.

 

[Goalus]

It is a good thing that MS as the good samaritans can finally heal this place. I hope the government is aware that they need to approve the deal if they want to change everything for the better and fill everyone with happiness.

 

[zeorhymer]

Time for companies to have men only and women only work spaces.

 

[archangelmorph]

Fucking hell...

They look like skinsuits for Phlebiac Brothers.

 

[Hayabusabruh]

In US, say HI to a girl is harassment.

In latin countries, you fuck colleagues in the workplace.

What's associate recognition? Bukkake?

 

[PJX]

I am so bored of American women.

Thank God I don't live in America anymore.

 

[TLZ]

They look the part.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I've never seen a duo resemble cartoon villains THIS well. Holy hell, lmao.