Activision Blizzard: Ex-boss Mike Morhaime apologizes

Activision Blizzard

After Activision Blizzard was sued a few days ago by the state of California for discrimination, sexual harassment and even bullying up to suicide, ex-boss and co-founder Mike Morhaime has now spoken out. Not to make excuses or to appease those affected. But to apologize for what happened. He did not mention whether and what he knew, however.

Blizzard's co-founder Mike Morhaime speaks of regret and improvement

Morhaime shared his thoughts on the incidents on Twitter. He believes that executives have a responsibility to ensure a fair and safe work environment: "Harassment and discrimination exist. They are widespread in our industry. It is the responsibility of executives that all employees feel safe and supported, that they are fair It is also the responsibility of managers to eliminate toxic behavior and harassment in any form, at all levels of the company. To the women at Blizzard who have gone through all of these things, I do infinitely sorry that I failed. "

Morhaime also writes about his time at Blizzard and regrets that he did not create a better work environment: "I was with Blizzard for 28 years. During that time I did my best to create an environment that is safe, and welcomes all people regardless of gender or background. I know it wasn't perfect, but obviously we were far from where we were going. The fact that so many women have been treated incorrectly and unsupported means that we disappointed them. Besides, we didn't make people feel safe enough to tell the truth. It's no consolation that other companies have been just as wrong. I wanted us to be different, better. "

Morhaime closes his statement with an apology and promises that he will use his influence in the future: "I hear you, I believe you and I am really sorry that I disappointed you. I want your stories hear when you're ready to share it with me. As an industry leader, I can and will use my leverage to fight misogyny, discrimination, and harassment wherever I can. "

Read also 0

Activision Blizzard Sued: Sexually Harassed and Discriminated Women

Activision Blizzard is sued by the State of California for its toxic and highly discriminatory work environment. 0

Rocksteady: Employees comment on the harassment allegations

The Rocksteady employees made a statement on the harassment allegations that surfaced on Wednesday. 0

Rocksteady: Bosses allegedly ignored letter about harassment in the studio

According to reports, those responsible at Rocksteady hardly paid attention to a letter regarding sexual harassment in the studio. var lstExcludedArticleTicker = '1376548,1376372,1356551,1356455';

How much did Morhaime know about the harassment and discrimination at Activision Blizzard?

An apology is all well and good, but many replies to your tweet show that your statement is received with skepticism. It is unclear whether and how much Morhaime knew about the harassment and discrimination. However, a file filed with the California court earlier this week, which preceded a two-year investigation, shows that similar conditions should have prevailed while Morhaime was CEO.

Morhaime left Activision Blizzard in 2018 for his own Establish a company called Dreamhaven. Other developers at Blizzard, including Overwatch veteran Jeff Kaplan, have recently turned their backs on Blizzard. Numerous former Blizzard employees spoke about their experiences at the game company after the news of the complaint and shared them on social media.

Activision Blizzard itself argues that the allegations of the prosecution do not reflect the current state of the company would reflect. A company spokesman told Kotaku: "The DFEH's lawsuit contains distorted and, in many cases, incorrect descriptions of Blizzard's past. The image that the DFEH depicts of Blizzard , does not correspond to our working environment today. "

You can find more information about the exact allegations in our corresponding article. Mike Hormaine's full statement is available here.

Source: Mike Morhaime on Twitter