A raft of Blizzard developers have taken to social media to criticise reported corporate statements issued on the recent allegations made against the company.
This week, the State of California sued Activision Blizzard over what it alleges to be a “frat boy” culture that created “a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women”.
The lawsuit alleges a culture of “constant sexual harassment”, mainly at Blizzard Entertainment, the maker of World of Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch.
Activision Blizzard has strongly denied the accusations, calling many of the claims distorted or false.
Last night, Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier tweeted the text of an email sent by current Blizzard president J. Allen Brack to staff addressing the allegations from the lawsuit, calling them “extremely troubling”. In the email, Brack commits to meet with staff to answer their questions and “discuss how we can move forward”.
“I disdain ‘bro culture’ and have spent my career fighting against it,” Brack says in the email.
“I feel angry, sad, and a host of other emotions,” he continues, “but I also feel grateful to work alongside a set of leaders and thousands of employees who join me in their commitment to continuous improvement.”
Brack’s email strikes a markedly different tone than that of Activision Blizzard’s public statement on the lawsuit, as well as an email reportedly sent to staff by Activision Blizzard executive Fran Townsend, who was the assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism to George W. Bush from 2004 to 2008.
Schreier tweeted the text of the email from Townsend, who joined Activision in March as “Chief Compliance Officer”:
“A recently-filed lawsuit presented a distorted and untrue picture of our company, including factually incorrect, old, and out of context stories – some from more than a decade ago,” Townsend reportedly says in the email.
“We work at a company that truly values equality and fairness,” she continues. “Rest assured that leadership is committed to continuing to maintain a safe, fair, and inclusive workplace. We cannot let egregious actions of others, and a truly meritless and irresponsible lawsuit, damage our culture of respect and equal opportunity for all employees.”
According to Schreier, Townsend’s email “has some Blizzard employees fuming”.
And on social media, some Blizzard employees have denounced the corporate statements coming out of Activision Blizzard on the allegations.
“Normally, I would say my tweets don’t represent the views of my employer,” one member of staff at Blizzard tweeted in response to Townsend’s email. “Today, I can definitely say my employer’s statements do not represent my views, feelings, or core values.”