Video game giant Activision Blizzard Inc on Monday said that it has fired nearly 40 people and disciplined more than 40 others since July last year as it deals with allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct.
Over the past seven months, the company has received about 700 reports of employee concerns over sexual assault or harassment or other misconduct, in some cases separate reports about the same incident, the Wall Street Journal reported.
A summary of the personnel action that the maker of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and other blockbuster games has taken was scheduled to be released before the winter holidays, the Wall Street Journal said.
Photo: AFP
However, Activision Blizzard chief executive officer Bobby Kotick delayed the release, saying that it would make the company’s workplace problems look even bigger than they were known to be, the newspaper reported.
Activision Blizzard denied as “simply inaccurate” the accusation that Kotick held up the report, in a statement prompted by the newspaper report.
“An interim update to our employees is still being worked on, and the company remains committed to continuing to provide periodic updates on its progress,” the statement said.
The statement said that company has completed reviews of 90 percent of the complaints it has received since July — it did not say how many there were — and that “37 employees have exited the company and another 44 received written reprimands, formal warnings or other disciplines.”
In July last year, California state regulators accused the company of condoning a culture of harassment, a toxic work environment and inequality.
In September last year, the US Securities and Exchange Commission launched a probe into the company over “disclosures regarding employment matters and related issues.”
And two months later the Wall Street Journal reported that Kotick, accused of mishandling the harassment complaints, had signaled he would consider stepping down if he failed to quickly fix the company culture.
He has led the company for more than three decades.
Nearly 20 percent of Activision Blizzard’s 9,500 employees have signed a petition calling for Kotick to resign.
The Wall Street Journal said that the company is under pressure from shareholders and business partners for more accountability over its handling of misconduct issues.
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