Activision Blizzard Employees Walk Out Over Sexism Complaints
Employees at the gaming giant Activision Blizzard staged a walkout today, capping off a week of escalating tension over how executives have handled accusations of discrimination and sexual harassment at the 10,000-person company.
Outside Activision Blizzard’s office in Irvine, California Wednesday morning, employees held signs with messages like “Believe Women,†“Commit To Equality,†“nerf male privilege†and “Fight bad guys in game / Fight bad guys IRL.†Cars drove by honking their horns. Online, the hashtag #ActiBlizzWalkout was trending as fans of titles like World of Warcraft and Overwatch expressed overwhelming support, including pledges to boycott games for the day in solidarity.
An organizer said about 500 people attended the walkout event. An unknown number of other employees participated in the work stoppage remotely.
“We love our jobs, but our jobs don’t love us back,†one Activision employee told WIRED ahead of the walkout. “And that hurts. So we’re trying to change that.â€
Today’s walkout was spurred, in part, by Activision Blizzard leadership’s reaction to an explosive lawsuit filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing last week. The suit alleges rampant workplace inequality, from unequal pay for similar work to a leadership culture that permitted sexual harassment and even retaliated against women who came forward.
In response, Activision Blizzard released a statement saying that the company values diversity, but also criticizing the DFEH’s two-year investigation as “irresponsible behavior from unaccountable State bureaucrats that are driving many of the State’s best businesses out of California.†Activision Blizzard Chief Compliance Officer Fran Townsend, former security adviser to George W. Bush, struck the same tone. In a letter she sent to staff last week, obtained by Axios, she described the suit as “truly meritless and irresponsible†and allegations within it as “factually incorrect†or “old.†She also said she is “proud†to be part of a company that takes a “hard-line approach to inappropriate or hostile work environments.†Company president J. Allen Brack, who is named in the suit, called the allegations "extremely troubling" in another internal email obtained by Bloomberg.
Employeesâ€"especially those with personal experiences of sexual harassment and discrimintion at the companyâ€"chafed hearing what they felt were unempathetic, even dismssive responses. On Monday, employees across Activision Blizzard decried leadership’s statements in an open letter, calling them “abhorrent and insulting to all that we believe our company should stand for.†The letter noted that employees had lost faith that “leaders will place employee safety over their own interests†and asked Townsend to step down in her role as the Executive Sponsor of the ABK Women’s Network. By Tuesday evening, the letter had over 3,200 signatures from current and former employees.
“The lawsuit brought to light sentiments of isolation from individuals who, for the longest time, felt like they were alone or that retaliation might occur,†said the Activision employee and representative of the walkout movement, who is anonymous for fear of repercussions. “I think it’s giving a voice to the voiceless.†To support those individuals, employees across Blizzard, Activision, and Kingâ€"all under the Activision Blizzard umbrellaâ€"began organizing.
“The movement has been company-wide, a collaborative effort among hundreds and hundreds of people,†a Blizzard employee and walkout movement representative tells WIRED. The employee adds that there is no current conversation about unionizing. The organizers announced the walkout on Tuesday. They also released a statement of intent for the action, as well as several demands including: sharing data on employees’ compensation to ensure fair pay; recruiting policies that better promote diversity; and bringing on a third-party, employee-chosen task force to vet human resources and executive staff.
These demands are “a starting point for us to work with leadership,†said another Blizzard employee and walkout representative. “There’s no sound-bite or single page of words that can describe the amount of work that needs to be done in order to create the culture we want to see.â€
Later that Tuesday, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick apologized for the company’s “tone deaf†response. He pledged to take “swift action,†including “listening sessions,†investigating claims, evaluating leaders, and vetting hiring practices. The company will also work with the law firm WilmerHale, notably not chosen by employees. Asked about the organizers’ demands, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said, “We know there are a variety of topics that need to be considered. The leadership team at Activision Blizzard is also committed to long-lasting change, listening, and continuing the important work to create a safe and inclusive workplace that we can all be proud of.†Activision Blizzard has offered employees paid time off for the duration of the walkout.
Photograph: Alex WelshThe organizers also called for an end to mandatory arbitration clauses in employees’ contracts. These clauses, popular among tech companies, prevent employees from taking discrimination suits in front of a judge and jury. Instead, employees must work with a private arbiter chosen by Activision Blizzard to settle their claims. Forced arbitration has come under increasing criticism ever since the #MeToo movement, and some employers, such as Google, have ended the practice after protests by their workers. In 2019, following a Kotaku report on widespread sexism at Riot Games, 150 Riot employees staged a walkout to protest forced arbitration. (Riot is also being sued by the DFEH over allegedly discriminatory workplace practices. A spokesperson told WIRED that incoming employees will be able to opt out of mandatory arbitration once litigation is resolved.)
Today’s walkout representatives tell WIRED that their approach is heavily inspired by what transpired at Riot. After some hemming and hawing, Riot eventually committed to firing problematic employees, bolstering its diversity and inclusion initiatives, overhauling hiring practices, and establishing “listening sessions.†A Blizzard employee and walkout rep says that “Following in their footsteps has really helped a lot of us believe in the future that we want to see.â€
Riot employees are actively in contact with Activision Blizzard employees about moving forward after widespread allegations of sexism. “It's great to see other company's workers realizing that organized action (whether formally unionized or not) is one of the best ways to exert pressure on company leaders,†says one current Riot employee involved with organizing at the company. “It's heartening and humbling to see Blizzard referencing Riot's own actions here, and a good reminder that we're ultimately all workers in the same industry, dealing with many of the same problems.â€
The games industry does not have a strong tradition of labor organizing, and actions like walkouts have been rare. Passion and fandom inspire many employees to take these demanding, often underpaid jobs to begin with. Burnout is an epidemic, even at companies not facing such serious allegations: One 2018 study based on LinkedIn data found a 15.5 percent turnover rate in the industry, higher than any other tech sector. Because the industry is so small and insular, workers often fear getting labeled as a troublemaker if they speak out, but that stigma is slowly thawing. Activision Blizzard employees staged a smaller walkout in 2019 after the company punished a pro Hearthstone player for saying “Liberate Hong Kong†after a big tournament.
There are still plenty of challenges for anyone organizing at a major game company. Activision Blizzard employees investing in change are doing it because they love what they do, despite the odds. “It’s a movement,†says the Activision employee. “We are all a part of this belief that we deserve better.â€
Update, 7-28-21, 9:45pm ET: An earlier version of this article said more than 200 people attended the walkout.
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