By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.
16.12.2023 - 14:48 / wccftech.com
As most of our readers probably remember all too well, Activision Blizzard experienced a veritable storm in July 2021 when it was sued by California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) for widespread harassment and discrimination against female employees.
The episode famously led to a walkout protest and the founding of A Better ABK by fellow Activision Blizzard employees, who advocated for better working conditions within the company. The stock crashed, eventually leading to more favorable conditions for Microsoft's plan to acquire Activision Blizzard, which bore fruit just two months ago after a long battle with regulators (although the US Federal Trade Commission is still trying to undo the merger).
As for the aforementioned discrimination lawsuit, Activision Blizzard signed a settlement agreement with California's Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in March 2022, agreeing to pay up to $18 million.
That appeared to be the end of the matter, but there was another state agency suing the company - the Civil Rights Department (CRD). Yesterday, the CRD announced that it had reached its own settlement with Activision Blizzard. California's CRD Director Kevin Kish stated:
California remains deeply committed to promoting and enforcing the civil rights of women in the workplace. If approved by the court, this settlement agreement represents a major step forward and will bring direct relief to Activision Blizzard workers. At the California Civil Rights Department, we will continue to do our part to fight for the rights of our state’s residents.
Activision Blizzard will pay a total of $54.87 million in total, $45.75 million of which will go toward the settlement fund for workers. Women who worked as employees or contract workers for the company in California between October 12, 2015 and December 31, 2020 may be eligible to receive compensation from the fund. It isn't time to apply yet, though, as the court needs to approve the agreement first.
Activision Blizzard will also have to:
As a reminder, Activision Blizzard employees may now take advantage of Microsoft's labor neutrality agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) to freely unionize.
By Tom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.
Long-time Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick is leaving the company following its acquisition by Microsoft in October. Kotick will depart on 29th December, with Microsoft largely keeping the company’s core leadership intact outside of this.
Long-time Activision Blizzard boss Bobby Kotick is leaving the company following its acquisition by Microsoft in October. Kotick will depart on 29th December, with Microsoft largely keeping the company’s leadership intact outside of this.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
It’s official: The Bobby Kotick era at Activision Blizzard will end on December 29. According to The Verge, Instead of appointing a new replacement, the top Activision Blizzard executives will now report to Microsoft’s game content and studios president Matt Booty. Several more higher-level Activision Blizzard employees will also leave the company in the new year with departures planned through March 2024.
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Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick is officially resigning from the company after the completion of Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of the gaming developer and publisher. Kotick’s last day is Dec. 29, when Microsoft studio head Matt Booty will take lead of the Activision Blizzard executive leadership team. Kotick led Activision Blizzard for 32 years.
US publishing giant Activision Blizzard is requiring quality assurance staff to come into the office for work.
California’s Civil Rights Department reached a settlement with Activision Blizzard late last week two years after the state regulator brought a lawsuit alleging gender discrimination, pay inequities and a culture of sexual harassment at the video game company.
Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay more than $54 million (and an additional $47 million for affected employees) to settle a lawsuit filed by California’s Civil Rights Department in 2021. The lawsuit was filed over accusations of sexual and gender harassment, along with discrimination, including pay disparities.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Activision Blizzard will pay over $50 million to settle a 2021 lawsuit filed by the state of California alleging that the video games giant discriminated against women by offering them lower pay and fewer promotion opportunities.