Thomson Reuters
Activision employees said the company's response to a new lawsuit is "abhorrent and insulting" in a letter sent to management, according to several media reports.
"To put it clearly and unequivocally," the letter from over 1,000 Activision employees said, "our values as employees are not accurately reflected in the words and actions of our leadership."
The letter, reportedly sent to management this week, was created in the wake of a new lawsuit brought by California against Activision. The suit alleges a "pervasive frat boy" culture at the company, where female employees were harassed, paid less than their male counterparts, and retaliated against by human resources when they reported issues.
Activision's "'frat boy' culture is a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women," the lawsuit says. The suit, brought by California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing, was filed after a two-year investigation into the California-based gaming giant behind franchises like "Call of Duty" and "Overwatch."
In response to the suit, Activision executive VP Fran Townsend told employees in an email that the claims in the filing are "distorted and untrue." The lawsuit, she said, is "truly meritless and irresponsible."
In the letter, signed by over 1,000 current Activision employees, which Bloomberg and Kotaku reported was sent to Activision executives this week, staffers lambast management for fostering, "a company atmosphere that disbelieves victims."
California's DFEH interviewed current and former employees for its investigation and found rampant misconduct across departments at the company. Female employees on the "World of Warcraft" team, for instance, are said to have received sexual advances from male coworkers. Some male staffers on the team reportedly made rape jokes.
Activision-Blizzard is a publicly traded video game maker and publisher with over 9,000 employees. A spokesperson told Insider in a statement that "the picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today."
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