Activision Blizzard has been under immense fire in recent months over reports bringing to light a workplace culture of toxicity and abuse, and the company has been scrambling to fix its many internal issues. Back in October, it was reported that Activision Blizzard had fired over 20 of its employees following investigations into misconduct allegations, and had taken disciplinary action against 20 more. Both those numbers have risen by now.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Activision spokeswoman Helaine Klasky said that 37 employees have “exited” the company due to misconduct allegations, and that 44 have been disciplined. Klasky says that “a small number” of the reports that Activision has investigated have involved serious misconduct instances.
WSJ’s report states that according to people familiar with the situation, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick held back the list of those who were let go from company employees, though Klasky says that assertion “is untrue” and that the company is “making sure we have accurate data and analysis to share.”
Another spokesperson said to PC Gamer: “The assertion that Mr. Kotick blocked the release of this information is simply inaccurate. An interim update to our employees is still being worked on, and the company remains committed to continuing to provide periodic updates on its progress.”
The aforementioned Kotick in particular has been under fire as well, with reports having come to light of severe misconduct on his part as well. Thousands of Activision Blizzard employees have demanded his resignation, and it’s been reported that he will consider doing so if he’s unable to quickly fix the problems at the company.
Since these reports have emerged, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo have also spoken out against Activision Blizzard. Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently also said that Microsoft has “changed the way” it does “certain things” with Activision. Read more on that through here.
