Lego delays Overwatch 2 set over Activision Blizzard harassment scandal
Brendan Sinclair
Managing Editor
Tuesday 11th January 2022
Lego has delayed its upcoming Overwatch 2 Titan set in light of the company's gender discrimination scandal, as reported by dedicated Lego site The Brick Fan.
"We are currently reviewing our partnership with Activision Blizzard, given concerns about the progress being made to address continuing allegations regarding workplace culture, especially the treatment of female colleagues and creating a diverse and inclusive environment," a Lego statement said.
"While we complete the review, we will pause the release of a LEGO Overwatch 2 product which was due to go on sale on February 1, 2022."
Lego has been making Overwatch Lego sets since 2018.
Lego tying the delay specifically to the allegations against Activision Blizzard is one of the first concrete actions taken by the publisher's business partners in relation to the scandal.
After a Wall Street Journal article detailed a number of incidents including Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick threatening to have his assistant killed, executives with Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony all expressed disapproval and concern about the publisher in internal emails to staff, but were vague as to what they would do about it.
Xbox head Phil Spencer said the company would evaluate its relationship with Activision Blizzard, while Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser said the company has "taken action and [is] assessing others." PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan said he had reached out to Activision Blizzard to see how it would address the incidents detailed in the report.
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