Activison Being A Summer Game Fest Partner Proves Our Industry Has No Morals
Summer Game Fest is now officially (technically) underway with the arrival ofSony’s State of Play, so let's take a look at some of the event partners. PlayStation, Xbox, and Steam? Obviously. Devolver and Humble? Sounds good? EA, Square Enix, and Sega? Sure thing. Oh, Netflix and Atlus, wonder if they have any cool surprises planned... wait, Activision? No, that can't be right, can it? Weren't we supposed to be all working together to demand some accountability?
Geoff Keighley is a loveable entertainer who is designed to appeal to everyone with no controversy, so the Activision Blizzard scandal just before The Game Awards last year put him in an uncomfortable position - even less comfortable than the fence that he calls home. After sucking on his finger and raising it to the air, Keighley decided that criticising a company currently being sued for sexual harassment, race discrimination, gender discrimination, and pilfering breast milk was probably a wise move. "We need to work together so everyone feels safe," Keighley tweeted at the time (or at least, a few days later once it was clear where public opinion lay). "All of us are accountable to this standard."
Related: Report: The Game Industry's Relationship With Alcohol
Last year, I attended The Game Awards and was surprised to see that the show opened, after Sting's musical number, with a statement from Keighley, further condemning Activision. No specifics were mentioned about the company, what meaningful action would look like, or really, anything at all, but it still felt like a positive move. Saying something on Twitter is one thing, but Keighley is mostly followed by journalists, industry insiders, and die-hards who were already well aware of the news coming out of
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