Games company Activision Blizzard vows to make changes amid sexism strike in Irvine’s office

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IRVINE, California (KABC) – Workers at leading video game company Activision Blizzard staged a one-day strike at the company’s Irvine office today over alleged workplace sexism, a day after the company announced a number of steps to address the charges.

The video game company behind iconic games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft is facing a lawsuit by the California Department of Employment and Fair Housing, alleging a “boy workplace culture” that includes sexual harassment of women by executives.

Current and former employees posted a letter on Tuesday calling for “official statements acknowledging the gravity of these allegations and showing sympathy for victims of harassment and assault.”

The company’s CEO, Bobby Kotik, responded with a letter to all employees later Tuesday outlining the new policies.

“I want to acknowledge and thank all those who have come forward in the past and in recent days. I appreciate your courage. Every voice counts and we will do a better job of listening now and in the future,” Kotick said in a Twitter post, linking to the letter.

“Our initial responses to the issues we face together, and to your concerns have been, quite frankly, deaf. It is essential that we acknowledge all viewpoints and experiences and respect the feelings of those who have been mistreated in any way. I am sorry we did not offer the right sympathy and understanding,” he wrote .

“We are taking swift action to be the compassionate and caring company you come to work for and to ensure a safe environment. There is no place in our company for discrimination, harassment or unequal treatment of any kind,” the letter read.

The letter went on to say that Activision Blizzard has asked the law firm WilmerHale to conduct a review of its policies and procedures “to ensure we have and maintain best practices to promote a respectful and inclusive workplace. This work will begin immediately.”

Kotick also noted the following measures, which are effective immediately:

Employee Support: “We will continue to investigate each claim and will not hesitate to take decisive action. To strengthen our capabilities in this area, we are adding senior personnel and other resources to both our compliance and employee relations teams.”

Hearings: “We know that many of you have inspired ideas on how we can improve our culture. We will create safe spaces, run by third parties, for you to speak and share areas for improvement.”

Changes in Personnel: “We are immediately evaluating directors and leaders across the company. Anyone found to have impeded the integrity of our operations will be terminated to assess claims and impose appropriate consequences.”

Hiring Practices: “Earlier this year, I sent out an email asking all hiring managers to ensure they have diverse candidate lists for all open positions. We will be adding compliance resources to ensure our hiring managers adhere to this guidance.”

In-game changes: “We’ve heard input from the employee and player communities that some in-game content is inappropriate. We are in the process of removing this content.”

Founded in 1979 as the first independent developer and distributor of video game software, Activision operates in more than 15 countries.

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