Kotick addressed a message to all employees concerning the lawsuit brought by the state of California over allegations of harassment and bullying last week, and notes that the company’s response could have been far, far better. “Our initial responses to the issues we face together, and to your concerns, were, quite frankly, tone deaf,” he said in the letter. He also revealed that a law firm, WilmerHale, has been hired to immediately review the company’s policies in hopes “to promote a respectful and inclusive workplace,” and that Activision Blizzard “will continue to investigate each and every claim and will not hesitate to take decisive action.” Kotick promised to fire anyone “found to have impeded the integrity of our processes for evaluating claims,” too.
In terms of impact on players, Kotick promised real change will be affected in Activision Blizzard’s games, too. “We have heard the input from employee and player communities that some of our in-game content is inappropriate. We are removing that content,” he notes. As Activision Blizzard employees begin staging walkouts in support of the lawsuit and to protest current leadership (with production on World of Warcraft apparently having ground to a halt), the statement may be too little too late. Over 2,000 staff have signed a petition condemning Activision Blizzard’s reaction to the lawsuit already, and public sentiment towards the company is at an all-time low. The full letter can be read below:
