New reactions from current and former Blizzard employees continue to emerge regarding the incidents – and this will likely continue for a while.
What do you think of Metzen’s statements?
Chris Metzen, a former top employee of Blizzard and an icon in WoW, also speaks out. In his statement, he regrets what has come to light.
The last few days have cast a dark light on Activision Blizzard and especially the team around World of Warcraft. More and more allegations from employees are coming to light as part of a lawsuit. They involve sexism, sexual harassment in the workplace, and many other forms of oppression against women.
Who is Chris Metzen? Chris Metzen was the “Senior Vice President of Story and Franchise Development” at Blizzard. Until his departure in 2016, he was largely responsible for the story of many Blizzard games. He shaped the Warcraft universe and is – to this day – also the original English voice of several characters, such as Thrall or Ragnaros.
For many, he was the great “story guru” and an extremely charismatic personality who often opened BlizzCon. At the same time, his departure from Blizzard in 2016 marked the “beginning of the end” for many in the game developer. It was a departure that would be followed by many other high-ranking developers.
Chris Metzen now works at “Warchief Gaming” and creates tabletop and pen & paper games there.
What did Metzen say? Metzen commented on the scandal in a statement on Twitter.
We have failed, and I am sorry. […]
There is no excuse. We have disappointed too many people when they needed us, and we had the privilege of not noticing, not trying, and not creating the necessary space for our colleagues who needed us as leaders. I wish my apology could make a difference. But it cannot.
Later, he explains that he finds it difficult to connect these stories of Blizzard with what he loved about the company.
I feel the same shock, disgust, and anger as many of you – and I struggle to reconcile the place I knew, loved, and worked at for so long with the harsh reality that has been revealed in recent days. It feels like I am staring at two different worlds.
But that is not the case. It is just this one world, and the vast chasm between my perception from the top and the jarring reality that many of you have experienced fills me with deep shame.
He further explains that as a father of two daughters, he hopes that they will one day find a workplace where they can freely express themselves. However, he notes that he should not think only about family, but about all women.
It’s not enough to say “I see you” and “I hear you” when terrible things happen to women, whether at work or outside of it. We must be present enough and willing to ASK what their everyday experiences are – and then do everything we can to support them with the respect, dignity, and opportunities they deserve.
He concludes by stating that such change can only happen if not only one acts this way, but also if these perspectives and values are shared in the environment. We must hold each other accountable – and be willing to be held accountable.
Community divided, uncertainty prevails: Although Chris Metzen enjoys a good reputation among many fans, there is also some criticism of him. Many find it hard to believe that Metzen knew nothing of the behavior of Afrasiabi, who allegedly harassed several women. Afrasiabi succeeded Metzen in terms of story, and the two have worked together a lot in the past.
Metzen explained this in a further tweet:
Regarding Alex [Afrasiabi]. I enjoyed working with him […]. I had a lot of respect for him in terms of work, but we did not interact outside of the “story jams”. I was never his boss. We had little to do with each other outside of work or shared smoke breaks, and we have not worked closely together [since] WotLK. I never heard a peep about him, other than that he could be tough on his team and at times an asshole. Learning all this over the past week was very shocking for me. That is just reprehensible shit.
New reactions from current and former Blizzard employees continue to emerge regarding the incidents – and this will likely continue for a while.
What do you think of Metzen’s statements?
