Activision Blizzard employees decry company’s “abhorrent” responses to lawsuit in open letter

Nearly 1,000 current and former Activision Blizzard employees have signed an open letter decrying the company’s responses to the recent Californian civil lawsuit — which alleges discrimination in the workplace.

On July 22, California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a civil lawsuit against gaming industry giant Activision Blizzard describing a “pervasive frat boy culture” and rampant incidents of sexual discrimination.

In the days since, employees at the company have revealed work stoppages while official social media channels have gone mostly silent. Additionally, amidst further accounts of sexist culture in the company, the company has shared internal statements responding to the allegations.

Dissatisfied with those responses, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has reported on an open letter petition signed by hundreds of both current and former employees of the company. Within the document, staff outline their values and denounce the company’s responses.

As Schreier notes, the brunt of the backlash from Activision Blizzard employees centers on dissatisfaction with the company’s statements. Discussing responses from both company representatives and legal counsel, staff describe them as “abhorrent and insulting.”

• Read more: WoW dev says “no work” being done amid Activision-Blizzard lawsuit

Additional details can be found in the full open letter, which is embedded below.

As seen in the employees’ open letter, there is a general sense of disappointment in their employers’ reactions to the lawsuit: “To put it clearly and unequivocally, our values as employees are not accurately reflected in the words and actions of our leadership.”

• Read more: Activision Blizzard sued by California over “pervasive frat boy culture”

At present, the publicly traded company’s channels remain muted and there has yet to be an official statement made available. We will keep tabs on the situation as it continues, as early reactions are in support of employees who are speaking up and pushing for accountability from Activision Blizzard.