What you need to know
- Activision Blizzard employees are holding a walkout in protest of the company's response to the recent lawsuit.
- The lawsuit alleges sexual misconduct, sexist workplace behavior, abuse and more have taken place.
- Nearly 500 Ubisoft employees have signed a letter of solidarity with the Activision Blizzard walkout.
- The Ubisoft employees also note their frustration with the lack of change at Ubisoft following reports of systemic abuse and misconduct in 2020.
Per a report from Axios, almost 500 Ubisoft employees signed a letter standing with Activision-Blizzard employees who are holding a walkout on Wednesday. The Ubisoft employees' letter notes that "We believe you, we stand with you and support you," with signatories from 32 Ubisoft studios around the world.
Activision Blizzard employees are holding a walkout in protest of the company's response to a lawsuit from the State of California, which alleges that sexual misconduct and abuse have taken place with little to no reprimanding of the offending parties.
The letter from Ubisoft employees goes on to explain that the signing workers are frustrated with Ubisoft's response to a wide range of allegations that broke in 2020, including sexual misconduct and abuse. While multiple executives and senior developers were fired, many of those accused remain in positions of leadership for massive Ubisoft franchises like Assassin's Creed.
"We have stood by and watched as you fired only the most public offenders. You let the rest either resign or worse, promoted them, moved them from studio to studio, team to team, giving them second chance after second chance with no repercussions. This cycle needs to stop," the letter states.
The Ubisoft employees are calling for collaboration between Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard and other workers at different publishers, saying that "This is essential to ensure that those who are directly affected by these behaviours are leading the change"
Following news of the walkout, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick made a statement expressing that company's initial response had been "tone deaf" and outlining steps for the company to address.
