Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Blizzard staff compiling list of pay and promotion-related requests

Employees are voicing their concerns internally and to the public.
This article is over 4 years old and may contain outdated information

Over the last several days, Blizzard Entertainment has been criticized heavily on social media by current and former employees for alleged unfair pay and less-than adequate raises after an internal company study.

Recommended Videos

Following the creation of spreadsheet of employees’ salaries and raies, hundreds of people within the company’s Slack channel began to compile a list of requests for the company to follow, according to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier. The list includes fair pay, a change in how promotions and bonuses are handled, increased vacation time, and pay bumps for customer service and quality assurance teams. 

The wage disparity within Blizzard seems massive, as Bloomberg reported that workers in customer service and quality assurance are paid close to minimum wage (or less than $40,000 a year in Irvine, California.) One veteran employee even said that they were making less than they did 10 years ago because they are working less overtime. 

Several employees also said they would routinely skip meals in some form because they needed to pay rent or couldn’t buy food at the company’s cafeteria. Jason Baker, the former lead observer of the Overwatch League, pointed out the cafeteria at Blizzard was a cheaper option to most Los Angeles alternatives, so skipping lunch “means you are really hurting.”

https://twitter.com/Alchemister5/status/1290448347094974464

Other former employees confirmed the unfair pay, with many saying they only received increases in salary by leaving to work for other companies, like Riot Games and Amazon Game Studios.

In response, a Blizzard spokesperson said the company will continue to listen to its employees and review the list of requests, including the changes to compensation for workers. 

“We will continue to adapt our compensation to build and keep the workforce our company needs today and tomorrow,” Blizzard spokesman Dustin Blackwell said, “We understand that some Blizzard employees have specific requests, and we look forward to hearing from them directly.”

Earlier in the week, Blizzard employees compiled an anonymous spreadsheet to share their compensation from Blizzard, which, according to Bloomberg, showed that most of the recent raises fell significantly lower than most employees were expecting after the study. 

Schreier also notes employees were unhappy that the higher-ups at Blizzard did not bring up the internal debates going on during Tuesday’s second-quarter 2020 revenue report with investors. Activision Blizzard reported revenue of 1.93 billion during that period.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Cale Michael
Cale Michael
Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.