Blizzard head responds to “extremely troubling” allegations

Earlier this week, the California Department of Fair Employment revealed that it would be suing Activision Blizzard over workplace misconduct, harassment and other issues. There has already been an ‘official' response from Activision Blizzard lawyers, which dismisses the allegations, however, an internal memo sent from Blizzard head, J. Allen Brack, has a notably different tone, acknowledging the “extremely troubling” allegations.

In an internal memo sent to Blizzard employees and obtained by Jason Schreier, Brack addressed the lawsuit, telling staff: “I personally have a lot of emotions coming out of yesterday, and I know you do, too. The allegations and the hurt of current and former employees are extremely troubling.”

Currently, Brack is unable to comment on specifics due to the on-going investigation, he did however state that behaviour detailed in the lawsuit is “completely unacceptable”, as you would hope from someone in a leadership position. He ended with the following message for Blizzard teams:

“A company is more than a legal construct that exists as a piece of paper in a filing cabinet in Delaware. The people that work at the company make it what it is, through their actions and creations. Each of us plays a role in maintaining a place of safety for one other. And it is also up to each of us to continue to craft the Blizzard we want — and commit to doing our part in keeping Blizzard great but always aspiring for more.”

The California Department of Fair Employment has had an eye on video game studios recently, having also filed a case against Riot Games in recent years. Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There will no doubt be more allegations and stories to come out of this over the next few months.

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