US state sues Activision Blizzard for widespread sexual harassment

After a two-year investigation, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing has filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. The gaming company behind «Call of Duty», «World of Warcraft» and «Diablo» is accused of subjecting employees to constant sexual harassment such as groping, lewd comments and unwanted advances. The workplace culture is like working in a frat house, they argue. The so-called «frat boy» culture has already led to numerous complaints at Ubisoft. Furthermore, women are reported to be paid less than their male colleagues and be less likely to be promoted.

Unsuccessful complaints

The complaint contains numerous examples of how female employees were harassed. It also states that female employees in a «World of Warcraft» team were hit on and humiliated by their superiors. The document even mentions remarks about rape. A former CTO is accused of groping female colleagues at company events and hiring women based on their looks. Women of colour had an even harder time, being harassed particularly often, as the complaint reveals. A suicide has also been linked to harassment culture at Activision Blizzard.

Allegedly, complaints to both HR and Blizzard CEO J. Allen Brack were neither taken seriously nor treated confidentially, which then led to additional discrimination against the people concerned, who were not allowed to work on projects, were transferred or even dismissed.

Before the lawsuit was filed, attempts at mediation were apparently made. As these didn’t lead to a satisfactory result for those affected, the state of California is demanding compensation from Activision Blizzard. The amount is determined by a jury.

Activision Blizzard has published a statement, claiming the allegations are distorted and in many cases false. They accuse the department of failing to engage with the company to find a solution together before filing a lawsuit – which is how the law prescribes it, Activision Blizzard highlight. The statement goes on to say that since the investigation was launched, there have been significant changes to address the company's culture and improve diversity.