Activision Settles Discrimination Suit With California To The Tune Of $ 54 Million
Activision Blizzard King is looking to settle its lawsuit under the California Civil Rights Department.
The California Civil Rights Department was previously known as the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. Regardless of the name, this is the same party that sued Activision Blizzard King in 2021.
The California agency’s suit was based on claims of discriminatory hiring and employment practices against women, as well as a frat boy culture that encouraged sexual misconduct.
Activision insisted that these claims were false, but several employees insisted otherwise. After nearly a third of the staff signed an open letter to the leadership, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, who himself faced accusations of discrimination, promised an internal review. Activision employees than staged two walkouts.
Other consequences of the lawsuit included Bobby Kotick taking a huge pay cut, and the exit of former Blizzard president J. Allen Brack. Several employees let go in the middle of this lawsuit, including a dozen staff in the just-unionized Raven Software, were alleged to have been done in retaliation for this suit, and organizing efforts among their workers.
While there is speculation that Activision sought to be acquired by Microsoft because of this suit, what is known factually is that Microsoft talked to Blizzard employees as they started the acquisition process. After being told they intended to form a union, Microsoft went on record that they would respect those employees rights to do so. Microsoft would later agree to a labor neutrality agreement with the Communication Workers of America (CWA), covering all Activision Blizzard employees once the deal went through.
As reported by Video Games Chronicle, this
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