Activision Blizzard organizers who have planned a walkout for today, July 28, have released a statement in response to an internal email circulated by CEO Bobby Kotick.
Kotick’s email called Activision Blizzard’s initial response “tone deaf.” In internal communications, Activision Blizzard top brass called the lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing “distorted, and in many cases false.”
The statement demands employee selection of the third-party company that will audit Activision Blizzard HR, greater transparency in payment rates, the end of forced arbitration, and the ability to participate in hiring and promotion activities.
The walkout centers around the lawsuit and its explosive allegations, which were first reported by Bloomberg. Among many other harrowing allegations, the lawsuit alleges that a woman took her life while on a business trip with a male superior she was sexually involved with. The male superior brought along “butt plugs and lubricant” on the trip.
Over 2,000 employees have signed a letter condemning Activision Blizzard’s initial response to the lawsuit, according to Kotaku. The letter said “To put it clearly and unequivocally, our values as employees are not accurately reflected in the words and actions of our leadership.”
The walkout organizer’s statement claims that the group won’t be placated by similar measures Activision Blizzard has pursued in the past and that they expect the response from the company to be “prompt.”
“Today, we stand up for change. Tomorrow and beyond, we will be the change,” the statement from the organizers reads.
In solidarity with the organizers staging the walkout, many gamers are refusing to play Activision Blizzard-produced games today.
