California state's Activision Blizzard lawsuit ends with $55m settlement
Sign up for the GI Daily here to get the biggest news straight to your inbox
Activision Blizzard and California's Civil Rights Department have reached a settlement over the latter's accusations that the company had become a "breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women."
On Friday, the CRD announced the agreement between the two organisations would see Activision pay just shy of $55 million to cover direct relief to workers and legal fees.
Approximately $46 million of this total will go into a settlement fund for compensating workers affected by toxicity and discrimination within the company – primarily women who were employed or contracted by Activision Blizzard in California between October 12, 2015 and December 31, 2015.
The agreement also states that Activision will distribute any excess settlement funds to charities that are focused on advancing women in the games and tech industries, or promoting awareness around gender equality at work.
The Call of Duty publisher has also agreed to retain an independent consultant that will evaluate and make recommendations in terms of training materials, promotion policies and compensation, and it will continue efforts to make itself more inclusive for staff and applications from underrepresented communities.
The settlement is subject to court approval, and the terms and figures could change before it it implemented.
In a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson said: "We are gratified that we have reached an agreement with the California Civil Rights Department today.
"We appreciate the importance of the issues addressed in this agreement and we are dedicated to fully implementing all the new obligations we have assumed as
Read more on gamesindustry.biz
