Activision Blizzard saw another turn in their current lawsuit. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing or DFEH had appealed a judge's decision that denies the department from intervening in the settlement between the game studio and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC. The said settlement is worth $18 million.
Activision Blizzard Lawsuit
Both Activision Blizzard and the EEOC had settled a lawsuit back in September 2021 regarding the studio's toxic workplace culture, according to The Verge.
In the lawsuit, it said that Activision Blizzard created a settlement fund supposed to be given to all of the employees affected by the company's toxic workplace.
The case is different from the lawsuit that the DFEH filed against the studio back in July 2021, as it is still ongoing.
In October 2021, the DFEH filed a motion to intervene. The department argued that the consent decree could absolve the studio from the state's claims, and it could allow them to destroy any evidence connecting them to the case.
A judge from California denied the motion in December 2021, and now, the department is appealing the decision.
The game studio is not new to controversy. In fact, it has been embroiled in it since last year after DFEH filed a lawsuit. The employees of the studio have petitioned to remove Bobby Kotick, the Activision Blizzard CEO.
However, he still holds his position despite a report revealed by the Wall Street Journal that he knew of the sexual misconduct allegations for years.
Also, some studio employees have been in a strike for weeks after the layoffs of QA employees at Rave Software, which is known for the "Call of Duty" games.
Timeline of the Lawsuit
According to Kotaku, the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard was filed on July 20 by the DFEH after investigating the studio for years.
Multiple stories of women suffering from harassment and abuse daily while they were working at the studio were presented in the lawsuit.
Since the lawsuit was filed, several employees stepped forward to share their unpleasant experiences and stories of harassment and abuse. Some even apologized to those affected, and some distanced themselves from the issue.
Employees from other gaming studios also came forward and spoke up about their experiences too. The stories shared became an eye-opener as they questioned the workplace culture in the gaming industry and how its male-dominated nature affected its female employees.
As the lawsuit is still ongoing, the public expects more stories to unfold and more employees to come forward. One of the names that were dropped was that of the creative director of "World of Warcraft," Alex Afrasiabi.
Afrasiabi, who worked for Activision Blizzard since 2020, left the studio after two NPCs continued to bear his name and several stories referenced him. Afrasiabi was notorious for his behavior, but the studio did not reprimand him despite complaints from employees.
The lawsuit against the studio proves what many women already knew, that misogyny in the gaming industry does not come down to just a couple of "bad men" at a few gaming companies. It is ingrained in the culture of the game business, and that is how it has been for years.
Related Article: Activision Blizzard Lays Off Quality Assurance Contractors, Will NOT be Part of The Game Awards
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Written by Sophie Webster
