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.
Pokimane, a Twitch streamer with a massive following, has said that streamers shouldn’t play games from Activision Blizzard if they have enough financial stability to avoid them. There has been a lot of talk in the gaming community about the publisher since Activision was sued by California’s DFEH, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing, on July 20, 2021. The lawsuit was filed on the basis of an alleged toxic workplace environment, abuse, and sexual misconduct taking place at the company and its studios. California’s investigation into Activision Blizzard took place over the course of two years.
Since July, there has been debate about the games Activision Blizzard has published, as well as the place of the company and its games in the industry. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have all released statements about the lawsuit’s allegations expressing concerns. Xbox executive Phil Spencer went further, saying Xbox was “evaluating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard.” Geoff Keighley, creator of the Game Awards, recently came under fire for not taking a strong stance either way on this issue. Activision Blizzard was not a part of the 2021 Game Awards and Keighley started last night’s event calling out abuse and misconduct in the industry without naming Activision Blizzard in the process.
In a recent stream, Pokimane (via Game Rant) said that “well-off” streamers shouldn’t play games published by Activision Blizzard due to the allegations in the California lawsuit. She made an exception for streamers who rely on games from Activision Blizzard to keep their audiences and their revenue, but she did remark that those streamers should be “extremely vocal” about the company’s practices and make it clear they are against the publisher's alleged workplace issues. Pokimane has demonstrated her own stance against Activision Blizzard by refusing to stream games published by the company since the lawsuit was made public, a revelation that also led to 20 employees exiting Activision Blizzard.
Pokimane fans have applauded her views and decision not to stream Activision Blizzard games. However, even though she isn’t the only high profile figure in the games industry who has been vocal about the allegations in the California lawsuit, her stance has drawn some criticism. Asmongold, a Twitch streamer most known for playing Word of Warcraft, responded by calling her statement pandering and claiming that others shouldn’t influence what games a streamer does and doesn’t play.
Activision Blizzard’s “frat boy” culture and alleged abuse are shocking, as are similar allegations like a recent report about company CEO Bobby Kotick. It’s difficult to decide how to respond, as a consumer, to the publisher’s treatment of developers. On one hand, choosing not to purchase or play games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch denies the company money - and in the case of streaming, publicity. On the other hand, the question begs whether or not boycotting Activision Blizzard games actually supports the hard-working developers that have been subject to the company’s practices over at least the past two years.
Source: Game Rant, Pokimane/Twitch