Activision Blizzard internal review finds "no evidence" it ignored harassment
Brendan Sinclair
Managing Editor
Thursday 16th June 2022
Activision Blizzard today released a summary of an internal review that found no evidence company's senior executives "ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported."
"Contrary to many of the allegations, the board and its external advisors have determined that there is no evidence to suggest that Activision Blizzard senior executives ever intentionally ignored or attempted to downplay the instances of gender harassment that occurred and were reported," the report said.
The report did not address the Wall Street Journal's reporting that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick overruled an HR department determination that a co-head of Treyarch be fired over an allegation of sexual harassment.
"The review of contemporaneous documentation and statements by relevant individuals shows that media criticism of the Board and Activision Blizzard senior executives as insensitive to workplace matters is without merit," the company said.
It acknowledged that there were "some substantiated instances of gender harassment," but said they were not evidence of systemic problems. It also pointed to external advisors that it said agreed with the board of directors' findings.
"Over the years the company has appropriately disciplined and exited employees to ensure that our practices match our policies," it said. "There simply is no room at Activision Blizzard for anyone who does not practice our corporate value of providing a safe, inclusive and welcoming workplace that serves as a model for our industry."
The report did not address a report that Kotick himself once threatened to have an assistant killed, something the
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