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[TransTrender]

Crosby Suite......

Holy shit....

 

[alabtrosMyster]

One female employee committed suicide on a work trip after her nudes were passed around the office.

Pretty fucked up stuff. Note that this is no vague accusation. This was a 2 year investigation done by the State of California.

I worked at a place where the "culture" was close enough to this, it never got this far, as far as I know. However, guys would post animated gifs of topless girls dancing in the company chat, and generally be unprofessional around the girls, to say the least.

I mean, I'm all for unbridled locker room talk, but there is a time and place for this... and there is no time and place to distribute nudes of a female colleague, I mean, in high school it's already a lack of judgement, imagine when you are at the workplace.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

Sounds like some assholes work there.

 

[TransTrender]

No need to leak. It's right there in the article. Click the "Complaint" link

Derp, my bad.
I clicked on the Bloomberg Law links.

Also, wow, butt plugs and lubricant...

 

[Mr Moose]

I wonder who will win.
Cali need to clean up their shit, literally, but this is welcome.
Fuck Activision.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Fuck Activision

 

[Nobody_Important]

I always assume that most game studios have a bit of a boys club kind of attitude just due to the nature of their work and the culture around it, but if even half of these things that are being alleged here are true then this is a fuck up of catastrophic proportions on their part.


No company anywhere should have stuff like this going on behind the scenes let alone one of the most prevalent and well-known companies of its kind. And if all of this is true I am genuinely shocked that they got away with it for as long as they apparently have.


Edit: Holy fucking shit I'm just now seeing some of the pages that are linked on here and on Twitter and if people like Brack and Afrasiabi are involved then World of Warcraft might actually be truly fucked beyond repair because that is two of the most important people for that franchise right now and they are already underwater with all of the negative press surrounding the final fantasy debacle in recent weeks. So if you have one dude sexually harassing female employees and the other guy covering for them then they are gone. And they have been with that franchise for quite a while now and most of the old guard for World of Warcraft were either fired or moved on already so who is left to take over?


This is a slow motion billion dollar train wreck.

 

[lh032]

all Blizzard had left is the IP, most of the talent individuals were gone.
This is why they are struggling to produce any good games.

The upcoming D2 remake looks great but its a remake based on the old game.
And D4 is not looking good for now, at least for me.

 

[Midnight Bliss]

Surely blizzard didn't have any former employees with user names that could be associated with frat boy culture right?

 

[Nobody_Important]

Oh my god man. The more I read about this the more gross I feel. Some of this is just the usual office bullshit that can happen when you get horny nerds around women (Which is NOT an excuse. Just an observation.) but the rest of it is borderline criminally inappropriate and some of it is ACTUALLY criminal.


Who the hell is in charge over there? Is there not an adult in the room to tell these chucklefucks to keep their hands to themselves and take them to task when they do not?

 

[Hestar69]

What in the actual fuck.

 

[SlimySnake]

Who the hell is in charge over there?

 

[Shifty1897]

"Frat Boy" culture? What year is it?

 

[MagiusNecros]

The upcoming D2 remake looks great but its a remake based on the old game.
And D4 is not looking good for now, at least for me.

Sadly I prefer Diablo: Reign of Terror(Grim Dawn mod) over the D2 remake. Unfair maybe since you can't touch the remake but Grim Dawn systems feel good with the D2 replicated maps and skills.

This is not good for Blizzard. Not good at all.

There are too many rotten apples in this barrel we call Activision-Blizzard. Therefore the whole barrel is rotten to it's core.

Between their previous infractions, poor treatment of WoW playerbase, how crap Diablo looks, the dead franchise that is Starcraft, the departure of that big Overwatch developer, famous streamers jumping ship to stream other MMOS, and now THIS...I really see no reason for anyone to support Blizzard. Will there be supporters sure because many have invested way too heavily into their games to just walk away but the actions of this clown company is just getting irredeemable.

As time goes on I just see how much of a withered husk they are turning out to be.

 

[Arsic]

If we dug into most companies out in the world, 9/10 have tons of misconduct going on. The bigger the business the more it happens and the worse the findings are.

If I had all the info on all companies I bought things from I could then act morally correct to write them off. However, at the end of the day I can't get this kind of data and I'm just a consumer.

While it absolutely sucks that this is happening and condolences to those effected, will it make any kind of real dent if things go unchanged? I imagine they'll do the Ubisoft sweeping under the rug and that'll be it for a while.

From there folks will still buy their games in droves, and if they are good games the company will continue to prosper. The only thing that can kill Blizzard is bad sales.

How many reading this thread who had planned to get say Diablo 4, won't be getting it now no matter the hype train if it is a 11/10 banger game? I personally still plan to get it.

 

[99Luffy]

Activision's response via Jason Schrier. They dont necessarily deny anything, but they say that they have made some changes SINCE the investigation started two years ago. They also call the State of California a bunch of corrupt bureaucrats.

Oh man did they hire Vic Mignogna's lawyer? what a terrible public response.

 

[MagiusNecros]

How many reading this thread who had planned to get say Diablo 4, won't be getting it now no matter the hype train if it is a 11/10 banger game? I personally still plan to get it.

Really depends on how it pans out. Thus far it really seems to be a reskinned, prettier Diablo 3.

 

[Neolombax]

This shit is really effed up. Its making me evaluate my intentions on supporting their games.

 

[Nobody_Important]

"Frat Boy" culture? What year is it?

Well at Activision-Blizzard it's apparently the 1950's.

 

[TransTrender]

This shit is really effed up. Its making me evaluate my intentions on supporting their games.

Just don't anymore.
There were plenty of reasons before this.

 

[Clear]

That is beyond fucked up

Here's the full excerpt from the lawsuit. Absolutely awful

Some odd wording there; confirmation by a single witness about what may have been happening is a little thin don't you think? Especially when the inference is that the tragic suicide may already have been investigated by the police (hence the butt-plug discovery) and presumably no further action was taken.

Not defending anyone here, and if this is provable in court then the full weight of the law should be brought to bear on the culprits. However the way that its couched with a definitive statement ("confirmed") followed by indefinite evidence ("may have been", "alleged to be") doesn't seem very legalistic to me, its more like tabloid journalism where they amplify every salacious detail in order to create drama.

Going to be interesting to see how this pans out.

 

[demigod]

How come we didn’t hear a peep from Jason about this?

 

[The Pleasure]

I noticed my ass has been cupped over the years. It alway happened when playing Activision games. Were they giving me a friendly ass grab?

 

[Nobody_Important]

How come we didn’t hear a peep from Jason about this?

He isn't omniscient.

 

[Nocturno999]

It always end this way for virtue signalers.

 

[demigod]

He isn't omniscient.

Well i meant before today, like the past 2 years.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I feel like a lot of this explains why so many have left over the years. Especially if stuff like this just kept happening and nothing was changing. This is shocking. However I have to admit a part of me isn't surprised that this kind of behavior festered within the walls of a developer that constantly flexed about how culturally progressive they are for several years. Makes it look like it was all just pandering for brownie points. Big surprise.

Absolutely disgusting.

 

[THEAP99]

What a disgusting company

 

[Nobody_Important]

Well i meant before today, like the past 2 years.

Well given the fact this was an official state investigation he may not have wanted to involve himself. Also possible that this all was kept quiet enough that he didn't hear about it.


I mean it's one of the biggest gaming companies in the world and there hasn't even been a peep about this anywhere I think. This shit might have been under the carpet that's under the rug.

 

[Unknown?]

They also call the State of California a bunch of corrupt bureaucrats.

No lies detected.

 

[Hari Seldon]

If we dug into most companies out in the world, 9/10 have tons of misconduct going on. The bigger the business the more it happens and the worse the findings are.

If I had all the info on all companies I bought things from I could then act morally correct to write them off. However, at the end of the day I can't get this kind of data and I'm just a consumer.

While it absolutely sucks that this is happening and condolences to those effected, will it make any kind of real dent if things go unchanged? I imagine they'll do the Ubisoft sweeping under the rug and that'll be it for a while.

From there folks will still buy their games in droves, and if they are good games the company will continue to prosper. The only thing that can kill Blizzard is bad sales.

How many reading this thread who had planned to get say Diablo 4, won't be getting it now no matter the hype train if it is a 11/10 banger game? I personally still plan to get it.

I do not agree that 90% of companies come even close to this level. Sure 90% of companies might have a few people doing really wrotten things, but not out in the open. Maybe my opinion would be different if I worked in teh CA tech bro world. I have worked for a CA tech bro company, but not in CA... in one of the east coast satellite offices. I think once you leave CA there are enough actual professional people to bolster office culture to a professional level. But in CA it is tech bro all the way down.

 

[Dream-Knife]

You're surprised that holier-than-thou types end up being hypocrites?

While I hate the woke mob, the article from earlier this year about activision being "anti-woke" is on the front page.

Then again, they've had woke events so idk where they stand.

 

[Basketball]

.

 

[yurinka]

Yeah, their response is oddly bullish given they didnt actually deny the accusations.

Well, they somewhat did it, at least partially. They claim to properly address these kind of issues and that the DFEH includes 'distorted, and in many cases false descriptions of Blizzard's past':

“We value diversity and strive to foster a workplace that offers inclusivity for everyone. There is no place in our company or industry, or any industry, for sexual misconduct or harassment of any kind,” a spokesperson for Activision Blizzard said in a statement. “We take every allegation seriously and investigate all claims. In cases related to misconduct, action was taken to address the issue.”

“The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past"

Not sure if due to legal lingo they somewhat acknoledge that that least partially some of the accusations are true or possibly true. While claiming others are false or distorted. In all big groups of people there's always a small percentage of retarded psycopath assholes, specially in positions of power. Considering they have decades of history, thousands of people worked there and that some of them are in position of power I think it's possible that at least some of the accusations are legit (and company may or may not have taken disciplinary actions). Obviously other ones can (or maybe not) be distorted or false bullshit as they claim.

Let's hope they make a proper and fair investigation and make justice for both sides. It shouldn't be free to make such big claims if stuff is fake, and even less to be such a monster in the workplace if claims are real.

 

[nush]

How come we didn’t hear a peep from Jason about this?

Well given the fact this was an official state investigation he may not have wanted to involve himself. Also possible that this all was kept quiet enough that he didn't hear about it.


I mean it's one of the biggest gaming companies in the world and there hasn't even been a peep about this anywhere I think. This shit might have been under the carpet that's under the rug.

He's already put out his default "I've heard about this too, this matches up with what I've been hearing" tweet that he always does when a story breaks that he was not even following, researching or aware of. Then like the ambulance chaser he is, he just so happens to have another story to ride this one coming this week.

*Pinned Tweet, buy my book!"

Hypocrite works for Bloomburg.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/michael-bloomberg-women/

How about resigning from that toxic company Jason? No? Paycheck and cred too good?

 

[skit_data]

What the actual fuck?

What the hell is going on there?

 

[ManaByte]

Crosby Suite......

Holy shit.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

If any of this is true, Activision has got to get it's act together.

I can understand small studios founded by a couple people having crazy corporate culture because they dont know any better, but you'd think for big places like Activision (no different than a bank or Home Depot head office), there'd be enough control by managers and HR. Activision is one of the earliest gaming companies too. Been around since the Atari 2600 days as leading game maker. They've had 40 years to mould a buttoned down culture.

Then again, it's gaming. The wild west of weird shit from internal squabbles, corporate culture crunch and social media whores.

The vast majority of us dont work in gaming and pretty confident we all work at normal boring kinds of work environments. But game studios can be all over the place.

The thinking is probably something like "I work at a creative place making games and there's all kinds of crazy trinkets and toys at everyone's desk. Therefore, I can treat everyone like a toy too"

 

[Little Chicken]

Disgusting. Workplaces should be a safe environment for everyone.

 

[ManaByte]

If true, Blizzard is done.

FFXIV is going to get a few million more players when WoW shuts down.

 

[EviLore]

Well at Activision-Blizzard it's apparently the 1950's.

Even the characters from Mad Men would recoil in disgust at some of these stories.

 

[ShadowLag]

If true, Blizzard is done.

FFXIV is going to get a few million more players when WoW shuts down.

 

[EDMIX]

What the actual fuck is going on at this place? This sounds fucking horrible.

I personally don't give a fuck if its LA, USA, GTA, BSA, TNA etc idgaf, its in the United States Of America... If you bring a handcuffs to them and tell them what they are doing is against the law, I'm doubtful they would do it in front of law enforcement, what is happening there is NOTHING like a Mississippi Burning situation where the law there WAS THE KLAN. Thats just not whats happening there to really make it seem as if the state or city explains the behavior or something.

Fuck em regardless.

I hope all those involved get fired and charged accordingly.

 

[[Sigma]]

Damn it's getting worse by the second.

 

[JackNightblade]

Holy shit!
That's absolutely despicable.

ActiBlizz is going to get absolutely fucked here, and they deserve it. Why is it soo hard to not be shitty?


Pretty much, but this sounds worse.


Someone needs to leak the full suit/complaint here. This is crazy juicy.

am i missing something? her nudes were sent around the office? i mean thats not the greatest thing in the world but also not horrible. sounds like she was sleeping with her boss and sending coworkers nudes….kinda dumb.

anytime anyone kills themselves is horrifying but i dont know this person and i dont want to put the weight of someone killing themselves on someone else if wht they did didnt warrant suicide.

what im saying is that whoever passed her nudes around shouldnt have to bear that burden. she was very likely already mentally disturbed if she killed herself over sexual harassment rather than just NOT sleeping with her boss and giving nudes out or just finding a new job.

 

[dark_chris]

That sounds so bad, holy Christ. >.<
Why can’t people just treat each other well with respect and dignity? Is it that hard?

 

[ArtemisClydeFrog]

That sounds so bad, holy Christ. >.<
Why can’t people just treat each other well with respect and dignity? Is it that hard?

It's like Slipknot said:

"People = Shit"

 

[SJRB]

Clicked on this thread thinking "frat boy culture, how bad can it be?" but hoooly shit, Blizzard you stupid fucks.

 

[DenchDeckard]

This is fucked up.....hope they have to pay out big time.

 

[Lanrutcon]

Putting it out there: the legal proceedings will take years, and whatever Bliz will be made to pay won't be significant, and the company will lumber on. Some employees will be chosen to fall on their swords (any management/execs will do so with a package that we'll never know the details of) in the name of "we're making changes, look! look!", but they won't throw their talent under the bus. Oh, they'll announce some kind of diverse workplace safety council of elders with third party quasi-oversight and maybe a new position or two to allow employees voices to be heard.

This won't sink them. Companies are like lizards, they'll shed their tails to survive.