Recently, the state of California filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for creating a culture of abuse and inequality for female employees. Now, gaming giant Bungie has used Twitter to publish a statement condemning what they call “a persistent culture of harassment, abuse and inequality that exists in our industry.”
It is immediately clear that Bungie is reacting to the news about Activision Blizzard, as they write, “Although the reports in this week’s news are hard to read, we hope they will lead to justice, awareness and accountability.” But the developer wasn’t afraid to look inside too. “It is our responsibility to ensure that this type of behavior is not tolerated at Bungie at any level and that we never apologize or sweep it under the rug.”
Of course, Bungie has more of a dog in this fight than most developers. They worked with Activision Blizzard on both Destiny games. However, they split from Activision Blizzard in January 2019, and Bungie retained the rights to Destiny.
Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard has issued a fierce denial of the allegations contained in the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) lawsuit, stating, “The DFEH includes biased and in many cases false descriptions of Blizzard’s past.” Activision Blizzard also criticized the DFEH’s inclusion of an employee suicide in its lawsuit, suggesting that the suicide occurred due to sexual harassment.
“We are disgusted by the DFEH’s reprehensible conduct of dragging into the complaint the tragic suicide of an employee whose death is unrelated to this case and with no regard for his bereaved family,” Activision Blizzard said. “While we believe this behavior is shameful and unprofessional, it is sadly an example of how they behaved throughout their investigation. It is this kind of irresponsible behavior on the part of irresponsible state bureaucrats that are pushing many of the state’s best businesses out of California. “
Where did this Bungie and their own withered claim come from? Some see this as a cynical PR move, a way to distance themselves from a problematic developer they once partnered with. But others see Bungie’s declaration as a genuine attempt to create a better gaming industry culture that is free from misogyny, harassment and inequality towards women.
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