Satya Nadella: Building a better culture at Activision Blizzard will require "significant work"

gamesindustry.biz:

Marie Dealessandri

Features Editor

Wednesday 19th January 2022

Activision Blizzard

Microsoft

In a conference call about the Activision Blizzard acquisition, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addressed cultural issues at the company, saying that it will require "significant work" to continue improving.

Activision Blizzard has been at the centre of ongoing criticism concerning its culture since July last year when the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against the company for "violations of the state's civil rights and equal pay laws" pertaining to its treatment of women.

"As CEO of Microsoft, the culture of our organisation is my number one priority," Nadella said in the conference call. "This means we must continuously improve the lived experience of our employees and create an environment that allows us to constantly drive every day improvement in our culture. This is hard work. It requires consistency, commitment and leadership that not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. That's why we believe it's critical for Activision Blizzard to drive forward on its renewed cultural commitments.

"We are supportive of the goals and the work Activision Blizzard is doing, and we also recognise that after close, we will have significant work to do in order to continue to build a culture where everyone can do their best work."

The record breaking $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft was unveiled yesterday, and is due to close in fiscal year 2023, after which the business will report to Microsoft Gaming's CEO Phil Spencer.

In the call, Nadella also doubled down on Microsoft's metaverse ambitions, which he says the company will be able to deliver with Activision Blizzard in its fold, and