Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available
The ongoing lawsuit against Activision Blizzard has caused LEGO to delay a planned Overwatch 2 set as it reevaluates its relationship with the controversial publisher. Last summer, the State Of California announced legal action against Activision Blizzard following a two-year-long investigation into reports of sexual harassment, abuse, and discrimination among Activision Blizzard executives. Recent developments also accuse that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick not only knew about the misconduct happening within his company but actively took measures to cover it up.
The backlash against Activision Blizzard in the wake of these bombshell accusations has been swift, as the company’s entire workforce staged a massive walkout in July to demand better protection in the workplace. Many people both within and without the gaming industry have lent their support, with World Of Warcraft players staging an in-game protest and sponsors like T-Mobile pulling their support for Call Of Duty and Overwatch eSports events. Now, it seems that even LEGO is reconsidering its association with Activision Blizzard in the face of the ever-building allegations.
Gaming news leaker Nibel recently posted that LEGO has delayed its planned Overwatch 2 Titan set, which was originally planned to hit store shelves on February 1, as a result of the current legal action against Activision Blizzard. LEGO news site The Brickfan would confirm this, also announcing that the Danish building toy company is “currently reviewing our partnership with Activision Blizzard, given concerns about the progress being made to address continuing allegations regarding workplace culture, especially the treatment of female colleagues and creating a diverse and inclusive environment."
As with plenty of other popular video games like Super Mario and Sonic The Hedgehog, LEGO has partnered up with Activision Blizzard for sets based on its successful battle royale title Overwatch in the past, as well as a LEGO-themed alternate skin for Overwatch hero Bastion. The Overwatch 2 themed set was announced back in December, and would have featured Minifigure versions of Tracer and Mei along with a buildable version of the hulking Titan robot.
LEGO is a traditionally family-friendly brand, and the recent lawsuits and allegations of sexual misconduct against Activision Blizzard are understandably something it doesn’t want to be associated with. Perhaps there might come a time when LEGO is willing to resume its connection to the popular Overwatch 2, but for right now it seems both the planned Overwatch 2 set and the company’s partnership with Activision Blizzard might be put on hold as the controversy surrounding the publisher continues to build.
Source: Nibel/Twitter, The Brickfan