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Since last summer, game company Activision Blizzard has fired dozens of employees and punished another 40 for transgressive behaviour. That came after allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct at the company.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Activision had already planned to announce the measures at the end of last year. However, CEO Bobby Kotick resisted because he believes this would make the problems within the company seem more significant, say the insiders on which the American business newspaper relies.
Activision Blizzard, known for games such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty, is taking action after increased pressure from shareholders, employees and business partners who want the company to take more responsibility for abuses in the workplace. According to the overview of the measures, employees have made about 700 reports of misconduct since July 2021. Sometimes it is about the same incidents.
A company spokeswoman said 37 people were fired, and 44 were sentenced. She disputed the number of the seven hundred reports. Only a small number would also be serious.
Activision has been under fire for some time for issues of sexism and misconduct, and The Wall Street Journal previously reported on cases where Kotick himself has been accused. The company continues to deny the allegations against its CEO. The US stock market watchdog SEC has also opened an investigation.
