Another lawsuit filed against Activision Blizzard

Another lawsuit has been filed against game developer Activision Blizzard. The lawsuit is said to have to do with alleged sexism within the company, and comes after a series of legal disputes in 2021. In July 2021, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard after a lengthy two-year investigation into what was described as a „sorority culture.

In October 2021, the company revealed that more than 40 employees had been challenged for their behavior, and more than 20 employees had been fired, while internal investigations continued.

New lawsuit

On Wednesday, March 23, Activision Blizzard was hit with a new lawsuit alleging that a current employee faced sexual harassment and discrimination and that action was taken when she spoke out about her experiences.

The report cites the employee, Jane Doe, as describing an „alcohol-soaked culture of sexual harassment.“

Doe claims that she was often pressured to drink alcohol and had to participate in „cube crawls“ where women were groped and confronted with sexual comments from male colleagues. These cube crawls were also part of the July 2021 complaint.

The new lawsuit also alleges that she complained about excessive drinking and sexual advances from supervisor, but was told that „he was just being nice and trying to become friends with her.“

Implications for Activision Blizzard

The lawsuit calls for several court orders, including requiring Activision to implement a rotating HR department to prevent conflicts of interest with management, to maintain a neutral research firm, and to fire CEO Bobby Kotick.