Gaming giant Activision Blizzard is once again under scrutiny after a former executive filed a discrimination lawsuit against the company, accusing it of bias against older, white men. The complaint revives discriminatory statements allegedly made by former CEO Bobby Kotick.
Activision Blizzard faces discrimination claim: Company accused of bias against older workers
An allegation of discrimination made by a 57-year-old white male who worked at Activision Blizzard from 2014 until he was laid off in the company’s 2023 restructuring accuses the company of prioritizing profits over employees.
The former executive alleges that Bobby Kotick engaged in age discrimination by stating at a conference that the problem at Activision Blizzard was that there were too many old white men.
The complaint also alleges that two white executives left the company following Kotick’s comments, at least in part influenced by the CEO’s remarks. The plaintiff alleges that Activision Blizzard has terminated older and higher-paid executives in an effort to take cost-cutting measures, placing financial gains above the well-being of its workforce.
Hostile work environment and unaddressed grievances
The complaining manager alleges that he was passed over for a promotion despite being recommended for the position after the aforementioned managers left.
She also accuses a younger employee of color, who later became her manager, of creating a hostile work environment and negatively impacting her merit-based salary increase. Complaints to HR about the discriminatory and defamatory accusations were allegedly ignored and the employee was not taken seriously.
Activision Blizzard’s response
Following the report, Activision Blizzard addressed its equal employment opportunity policy when contacted by GamesIndustry.biz. The company is already under increased scrutiny after agreeing to a significant settlement in a gender discrimination lawsuit in 2021, signaling ongoing challenges to its workplace practices.
To date, the company has been scrutinized for gender discrimination, racial discrimination and, most recently, age discrimination. What do you think? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments.
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