A new development in the scandal surrounding Activision Blizzard: #ActiBlizzWalkout – Employees are striking today, demanding major changes from the company leaders.
Hardly any scandal in the video game industry has been as significant as the current incident around sexism and discrimination at Blizzard, the developer behind World of Warcraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, and Overwatch. Serious accusations are being made, and each day more affected individuals are coming forward to share their stories. However, the official statement from Blizzard has angered many – changes are now being demanded. A strike is intended to help raise awareness and push for these demands.
What is planned? Today, on July 28, 2021, developers at Activision Blizzard are planning to organize a strike. From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, they intend to stop working and are also calling on employees working from home to do the same and express their solidarity, for example, through activity on Twitter or other social media.
Employees are gathering in front of the main gate of the Blizzard building because, due to the current Corona situation, they do not want to be in large numbers in enclosed spaces.
What are the employees demanding? Essentially, it still revolves around the official statement regarding the current lawsuit being revised by the leaders at Activision Blizzard to better align with the goals and values of the employees. In particular, four points are to be achieved:
- The elimination of “arbitration clauses”. These are clauses in contracts that require conflicts to be resolved outside of court – for instance, through specific channels within the company. These clauses primarily protect the abusers.
- The implementation of principles regarding job interviews, recruitment, and promotions, ensuring greater representation of many groups at all levels of the company.
The current practices have led to women and especially Black women or transgender women, non-binary individuals, and other minorities vulnerable to discrimination not being treated fairly in the assignment of new roles within the company. - Disclosure of salaries, bonuses, and promotion rates of all employees, all genders, and ethnic groups. The current practices have resulted in many groups being paid and treated poorly.
- The establishment of a company-wide “Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Task Force” that would then hire a third party to investigate the issues at Activision Blizzard and propose improvements to prevent harassment and discrimination in the future.
Hashtag #ActiBlizzWalkout is meant to gain attention
It is being called to use the hashtag “ActiBlizzWalkout” during the strike to express solidarity with the cause. However, this should not solely be about Activision Blizzard. Other studios fighting for greater equality and against discrimination should also adjust the hashtag to #(StudioName)Walkout and participate.
Whether this strike, along with all the other demands, actually achieves something will likely be revealed in the coming weeks and months. This whole situation may take some time to resolve, until all stories are heard and appropriate consequences are drawn.
What do you think of this strike action? Is it good and meaningful for improvement? Or is it the wrong approach?
