Activision-Blizzard has been sued by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DEFH), with allegations ranging from sexual harassment to unequal treatment to racial discrimination, while the incidents that have been recounted by former employees in the lawsuit have truly shaken many in the industry with how severe they are and the culture of abuse, unprofessionalism, and toxic behaviour they talk about on a company-wide scale.
In the wake of these issues coming to light, Bungie – former collaborators of Activision – have issued a length and emphatic statement on Twitter about their no-tolerance policy against “a persistent culture of harassment, abuse, and inequality that exists” in the games industry. “It’s our responsibility to ensure this type of behavior is not tolerated at Bungie at any level, and that we never excuse it or sweep it under the rug,” Bungie writes. “While the accounts in this week’s news are difficult to read, we hope they will lead to justice, awareness, and accountability.”
“We have a zero-tolerance policy at Bungie for environments that support this toxic culture, and we are committed to rooting them out to defend those who are at risk,” their statement reads. “Women, POC, and underrepresented communities have nothing to gain by reliving their trauma. We believe them when they come forward with reports of abuse or harassment.
“We don’t pretend that Bungie is perfect and that no one has experienced harassment while working here, but we will not tolerate it and will confront it head on. And we will continue to do the work every day to be better.”
It’s great to see Bungie’s stance and unequivocal statement on these issues, and hopefully, more will follow in their footsteps.
Bungie partnered with Activision for the first two Destiny games and their expansions, but the two companies split in 2019, with Bungie retaining full ownership and publishing rights of the Destiny IP.