Report alleges Activision boss Bobby Kotick knew about misconduct and ‘made death threat’ – Video Games Chronicle

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A new Wall Street Journal report alleges that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick was aware of multiple sexual misconduct allegations at the company, some of which it’s claimed he withheld from its board, and also accuses him of personally mistreating several female employees.

The company is currently facing multiple regulatory investigations over alleged sexual assaults and harassment of female employees, much of which has centred around World of Warcraft developer Blizzard.

However, the Wall Street Journal claims that instances of sexual assault and mistreatment have been widespread at the company, including at Call of Duty development studios Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games.

While Kotick reportedly told company directors and other executives that he was unaware of many of the allegations, the WSJ says it has received evidence to the contrary from various sources including interviews with former employees and internal Activision documents.

Reacting to the report, the Activision Blizzard King Workers Alliance said it would stage a walkout and demanded Kotick’s resignation.

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The evidence the WSJ has gathered is alleged to suggest Kotick was aware of allegations of employee misconduct in many parts of the company and that he chose not to inform the board of directors about what he knew.

These include the alleged rape of a former Sledgehammer Games employee by a male supervisor in 2016 and 2017, a matter which was settled out of court.

And after Treyarch co-head Dan Bunting was accused of sexual harassment in 2017, the matter was investigated by Activision’s HR department and it was recommended that he be fired, but Kotick reportedly blocked the move. Bunting is said to have left the company after the WSJ looked into the incident.

In a statement, an Activision spokesperson said “Mr. Kotick would not have been informed of every report of misconduct at every Activision Blizzard company, nor would he reasonably be expected to have been updated on all personnel issues.”

The spokesperson also provided a statement attributed to Activision’s board, which said it had been “informed at all times with respect to the status of regulatory matters” and denied that Kotick had said the company’s issues were restricted to Blizzard.

Kotick has also been accused of mistreating several female employees, including leaving a voicemail in 2006 in which he threatened to have an assistant killed.

An Activision spokeswoman said of the accusation: “Mr. Kotick quickly apologized 16 years ago for the obviously hyperbolic and inappropriate voice mail, and he deeply regrets the exaggeration …….

Source: https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/report-alleges-activision-boss-bobby-kotick-knew-about-misconduct-and-made-death-threat/