WHAT IS BLIZZARD’S GENDER DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT DOING?
Activision Blizzard has struggled to stay in the news for the past few months. The story began with a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for gender discrimination. It has only gotten worse since. Every article published has revealed a new twist to the story. It has become more difficult to keep up with it all as the years pass. What are the most important points? What was the actual purpose of the lawsuit? Let’s get to the bottom of it.
THE BEGINNING
On 20 July, Activision Blizzard was sued and the public became aware of the problems. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), filed suit against Activision Blizzard claiming that it had violated the Equal Pay Act and Fair Employment and Housing Act.
This filing details a variety of worrying incidents and wider trends that were discovered over a two-year investigation. Some of these are related to the company in general, such as the fact that less than 20% of the 9,500 employees are women and that the top leadership positions are occupied exclusively by white men. The suit claims that Blizzard promoted a “pervasive frat boy” workplace culture. The suit lists grievances like male employees behaving in an inappropriate way towards women, passing their workload to female workers, and bantering about sexual encounters.
When such behavior led to complaints, the appropriate actions were seldom taken and the situation wasn’t kept confidential. Staff members who complained received retaliation, which included being preferred to be laid off.
Others in the suit refers to specific violations. A male supervisor brought with him sexual paraphernalia on a business trip, and a female employee committed suicide. The lawsuit names people in different places. Of particular note is Alex Afrasiabi (WoW) former creative director, who was fired in 2020 for his treatment of his employees.
These allegations were serious and comprehensive. The lawsuit quickly made headlines, and it has remained there ever since.
POOR RECEPTION
It is important that a company responds quickly to any publicized allegations. This will help determine its position in court of public opinion. Blizzard didn’t look good. A few days after the lawsuit was filed against Blizzard, executives issued a statement slamming the investigation for being ‘irresponsible. The Chief Compliance Officer at Blizzard followed up by sending a letter in which he reiterated that sentiment and dismissed the allegations of the suit as ‘factually incorrect’.
Unsurprisingly, both employees and the public received these statements with great negativity. On the following Monday, staff released an open letter that called the executives’ response ‘abhorrent and insulting’; by the end of the following day, it had been signed by over
CHANGES AT TOP
It is not surprising that a lot the negative sentiment against Blizzard after the lawsuit was filed was directed at the top executives. The problems were alleged to have occurred at all levels of the company. However, it is the responsibility for the top executives to ensure that their employees are taken care of.
Many staff members who held high-ranking positions were either terminated or willingly removed from their posts. J. Allen Brack was Blizzard’s President. In his absence, two new coleaders will lead the company, Jen Oneal, and Mike Ybarra.
Activision Blizzard President Daniel Alegre announced Brack’s departure on 3 August. It does not detail the nature of Brack’s departure from Blizzard. The statement simply states that he was leaving Blizzard to pursue ‘new opportunities’. Blizzard released a separate statement that shed more light on the matter, noting that Back was “stepping down” and including a message from Brack that praised his successors.
BRACK’S PRESIDENCY
In 2018, Brack was named President of Blizzard. He has been the company’s face since then, especially during difficult times. He opened BlizzCon 2019, the company’s annual convention. He offered a live apology for the way Blizzard handled the controversy surrounding the banning a pro-player, who stood up for Hong Kong.
His recent rise to the presidency has given him some advantages in the litigation. Many of the allegations against him were made before he took the position. Therefore, they cannot be held against him. Even more concerning is the fact that a video taken at Blizzcon 2010 was rediscovered shortly before his departure. It shows Brack in an all-male panel that includes Afrasiabi laughing at a question about the sexualization of WoW female characters.
Although the video was not mentioned in either of his announcements about his departure from Blizzard they did mention it, his popularity was greatly affected by its circulation.
