The sexism scandal at Activision Blizzard has flared up again. In a report published on November 16, The Wall Street Journal raises serious allegations against CEO Bobby Kotick (58). Allegations include the concealment of an alleged rape and a death threat. MeinMMO editor-in-chief Leya Jankowski states: If Kotick doesn’t leave, others will.
I found it difficult to read the exposé of The Wall Street Journal. When it was published on the evening of November 16, we gathered again as an editorial team and struggled to find the words to describe what was in it:
- A female employee reported to HR about a rape that supposedly took place within the company. Kotick allegedly concealed these allegations from the board. The matter was settled out of court.
- Kotick allegedly threatened an assistant with murder in 2006. He is said to have apologized for this at the time. The incident was settled out of court.
- Kotick reportedly requested that employee Fran Townsend dismiss the complaint in an email to the Activision Blizzard team. This was viewed negatively by thousands of company employees: They demanded her resignation as “Executive Sponsor” of the Activision Blizzard women’s network. She resigned.
- The board was not informed that an employee had taken her own life after naked pictures of her were circulated at a company party. The board only learned about this after the initial complaint against Activision Blizzard.
Since the release of the complaint, it has been known that Blizzard is characterized by a history of sexism and heavy alcohol consumption in the workplace. Until now, the lawsuit against Activision Blizzard primarily focused on the gaming studio Blizzard.
The exposé has shifted the focus to publisher Activision and its CEO Bobby Kotick.
Listing the allegations for this column makes it hard to swallow – and these are just “the highlights.” However, it is important to enumerate the allegations in order to understand the extent of the accusations. When a CEO makes death threats and conceals alleged rapes from the board, without taking further action – that is dehumanizing.
Witch Hunt or a Long-Overdue Step?
It is always damn difficult to report on such incidents and make the right decisions in reporting. Because, of course, we can prove nothing.
The Wall Street Journal cites its information from interviews conducted with employees. There are also said to be documents that support these allegations. For the sources, it is of enormous importance that they remain anonymous. It is crucial that their names and the respective documents do not make their way into the public domain.
In the comment sections of such reports, the famous case of TV presenter Jörg Kachelmann is often referenced. Kachelmann was acquitted of the charge of rape in 2011. By then, however, his reputation and career had already been ruined.
It is called a witch hunt – and yes, one should rightly guard against that.
In the case of Bobby Kotick, it seems that he perceives the reporting on the allegations as unfair. In a statement to Bloomberg, it states that they are very disappointed with the report from The Wall Street Journal. They did not highlight the positive changes that have occurred since the publication of the sexism lawsuit.
The board of Activision Blizzard expresses that they stand behind Kotick:
The board of Activision Blizzard remains committed to making Activision Blizzard the most welcoming and inclusive company in the industry. Under the leadership of Bobby Kotick, the company has already introduced industry-leading changes, including a zero-tolerance policy on harassment and a commitment to significantly increase the proportion of women and non-binary individuals in our workforce […]. The board continues to have confidence in Bobby Kotick’s leadership abilities, commitment, and skills.
Official statement from the Activision Blizzard board regarding the exposé
However, they do not deny the allegations. We can assume that there is a significant truth to them.
These measures also included making Jen Oneal co-head at Blizzard. She is now gone, and along with her, two other women in leadership positions at Blizzard have left. There are already measures that were not sustainable.
The internal teams at Activision Blizzard apparently see things differently than Bobby Kotick and the board. Immediately after the publication of The Wall Street Journal, a strike and “walk-out” of the workforce was announced and carried out.
A large part of the workforce wants Bobby Kotick to resign. According to Bloomberg, over 100 people at Blizzard participated, even though home office is still being offered in the company due to the Corona situation.
If Bobby Kotick does not leave, others will – and that will be painful
It may be true that under Bobby Kotick’s leadership, some changes have already been implemented in the company. It may be true that the board still has confidence in Bobby Kotick’s leadership abilities.
Yet it is also true that the people who are primarily responsible for creating the games for Blizzard have lost their trust in the CEO. Otherwise, there would not be protests and strikes. Otherwise, there would not have been numerous resignations of key figures in the company over the past few years.
The brief co-head at Blizzard, Jen Oneal, would not have said: She no longer trusts the leadership. She has drawn her consequences and left. Others may follow her.
When I placed myself in the shoes of the employees, a thought crossed my mind: Have we reached a point where one is ashamed to say that one works for Activision Blizzard?
I started pondering this a few days ago. I received a personal message on my Instagram asking for advice. A young person who had been offered a lucrative job at Blizzard asked me whether they should even accept the position under the current circumstances. They expressed significant doubt.
My response was that it still carries weight in the industry to work for a company like Blizzard. It still opens doors and gates. It can be a springboard.
Reflecting on my response to that person today, I see the problem:
Because currently, I could not advise that person to join the company to build a career and work at Blizzard for years. Neither the future of Blizzard nor the current situation looks really bright.
At the moment, a job change to Blizzard, from my perspective, would be an attractive interim position to qualify for other jobs at other companies.
If you only have a big name but cannot offer an attractive work environment, that’s not a good sign for retaining or attracting talent.
I see all of this independently of the mostly incredibly good games that Activision and Blizzard have given us.
It is unlikely that Bobby Kotick will leave – but not impossible
Kotick is himself a shareholder at Activision Blizzard, and he has the support of the board. He would have to leave willingly. However, that would also mean he would no longer have a chance to redeem his current reputation. He has also built the company over more than 30 years, and I can’t imagine that he would want to leave under these circumstances.
There would have to be a significant external pressure for him to draw the line and clear the field. Employees would have to raise their voices, and investors would need to go on the barricades.
If Bobby Kotick remains, then even more will leave. More young talents will question whether they want to work for Activision Blizzard. Ultimately, leadership always bears responsibility for the entire company.
A very tough phase is about to come for Activision Blizzard, significantly affecting game development and hindering it. This is precisely when young and motivated talents are most urgently needed.
After the latest revelations, I personally find it hard to believe that young talents would want to work under Bobby Kotick’s leadership anymore. Of course, I can only judge all of this from an outside perspective.
I will wait and see what happens in the coming days and weeks. If Kotick can mitigate the external pressure and remains in his role, then a rocky road lies ahead of him. It will not be easy to regain the lost trust.
Whether he will be able to gain trust and sustainably change something in the company remains to be seen and may take years.
I wish the team behind Activision Blizzard a recovery and a return to greatness – whether with or without Bobby Kotick.
