A new scathing report from the Wall Street Journal claims that Activision CEO Bobby Kotick lied about about his knowledge of sexual misconduct and rape allegations to the company's board of directors.
Explosive investigations from the WSJ have uncovered more controversial details around Activision's current legal issues. According to documents attained by WSJ and internal sources, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick not only knew about specific sexual abuse allegations at the company, but lied about it to the board of directors. Internal reports say Kotick settled one allegation made by a former female Sledgehammer Games developer out of court.
The report illuminates problems with Activision-Blizzard's workplace culture, which range from excessive drinking to serious allegations of sexual abuse, rape, and coercion. It's a laundry list of systemic issues, claims of criminal activity made by employees, and what appears to be cover ups by a CEO worth tens of millions of dollars. The report states that over 500 people have stepped forward with their own claims of abuse in some form or another.
Employees are now staging a walk-out protest with demands of CEO Bobby Kotick being outed and replaced by the board of directors.
Activision is currently facing four high-profile complaints that may have precedential effects on the games industry:
- California Department of Fair Employment and Housing investigation alleging sexual misconduct and discrimination
- Charges of violating National Labor Relations Act with unfair labor practices (ULP) and alleged union busting
- Class-action lawsuit alleging securities fraud with over a dozen law firms trying to bring the case to trial
- SEC investigation regarding internal communications, workplace discrimination, and potential securities fraud
