Activision Blizzard fires almost 40 employees over misconduct allegations

It’s been some time since news started to break about harassment and misconduct at Activision Blizzard, and just a couple of months since CEO Bobby Kotick was tangled up in the allegations himself. It seems that the company has finally offered some evidence of action taken, though, according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal.

Since the allegations first came to light in July 2021, the company has reportedly fired or otherwise removed 37 employees and disciplined 44 others, and has collected around 700 reports of harassment and misconduct. A company representative confirmed the number of employees disciplined but disputed the number of harassment complaints, according to PC Gamer.

Also new info on the shareholder pressure: One investor, Fidelity International, sent a letter to Activision's board with a list of demands and warned it could divest or join w/ other shareholders if they're not met. NY Comptroller also has written. Board has stood by Kotick.

— Kirsten Grind (@KirstenGrind) January 17, 2022

It’s not all progress, however. According to the WSJ’s Kirsten Grind, a summary of those statistics and the action taken by the company was due to be released before the winter break. The report, however, was withheld from the public by Kotick, who was reportedly concerned that it would make the company’s problems seem more serious than was desired. The same company representative disputed this claim, too, adding that “our focus is making sure we have accurate data and analysis to share.”

Kotick remains in place as CEO of the company, despite calls for his removal. It remains to be seen whether his tenure will continue, buoyed by the fact that the company has taken some degree of action, or if his alleged attempts to delay the release of that information will prove detrimental.