Endgame for Allen Brack.
The American company Activision Blizzard has decided to separate from one of its directors, following accusations of discrimination and harassment within the company.
Allen Brack had worked for the company for 15 years and had held various management roles.
The video game publisher announced on Tuesday to make this slight change in its management, without giving more justifications.
Head of the subsidiary Blizzard Entertainment, Brack will leave the group "to pursue new opportunities," said in a letter to employees the director of operations, Daniel Alegre.
He is replaced with immediate effect by Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra, he added, highlighting the “leadership”, “empathy” and “unwavering sense of responsibility” of the two new leaders.
A complaint filed by a Californian agency
Allen Brack was also directly named in a complaint filed in late July by a California state agency investigating civil law cases. The agency notably accuses the creator of the blockbuster “Call of Duty” of having allowed a sexist and toxic culture to settle in the company. In addition to these accusations, the California agency behind the lawsuit blames Activision for failing to properly handle complaints from employees to human resources or to officials, including to Allen. Brack. “An employee complained to (the head of Blizzard Entertainment) in early 2019 that team members were leaving due to sexual harassment and sexism,” it is detailed in the complaint.
Read alsoA wave of accusations of harassment in video games
The women interviewed "almost all confirmed that working for (Activision) was like playing in a boys' club."
This means that there are "invariably men drinking alcohol and subjecting women to sexual harassment without consequences for them", further details the text of the complaint that was filed on July 20 in the Superior Court of Los Angeles.
Women currently represent around 20% of employees in the Activision Blizzard group.
After dismissing the charges, the group reconsiders its position
The management had initially sought to reject en bloc the charges detailed in the complaint. She said at first that the accusations "do not represent the work environment of Activision Blizzard today". The position had sparked the ire of many employees, who signed a petition en masse and went on strike last week. About 200 people also gathered in peace in front of the headquarters of Blizzard Entertainment, in Irvine, California, on July 28.
Following strong reactions, Activision Blizzard promised immediate measures and layoffs within the group. In a letter sent last week to employees, CEO Bobby Kotick assured that the group would "immediately assess the managers and leaders of the company." "Anyone who interfered with the integrity of our complaints and sanctions assessment process will be terminated" because, he asserted, "there is no place in our business for discrimination, harassment or treatment. unequal of any kind ”. Other measures presented by the boss of Activision Blizzard also included the recruitment of a law firm to assess the company's policy on inclusion and the promise of more diverse hires in the company.
"I want to recognize and thank all those who have come forward in the past and in recent days. I so appreciate your courage. Every voice matters - and we will do a better job of listening now, and in the future."
- CEO Bobby Kotick
Full letter here: https://t.co/SSXm6AEJ6I
- Activision Blizzard (@ATVI_AB) July 28, 2021
The video game industry is regularly shaken by scandals, this sector being often considered as an environment dominated by a male corporate culture, where sexist abuses and inappropriate behavior are frequent.
The French company Ubisoft, for example, was splashed last year by multiple revelations about the sexist and violent behavior of several of its executives.