According to internal documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). Activision Blizzard spokesperson Helaine Klasky also told the WSJ that 44 individuals were disciplined over allegations of workplace misconduct.
These numbers likely include the more than 20 employees who left the company in October, along with about 20 employees the company reprimanded at the time. The WSJ also notes that Activision Blizzard collected approximately 700 employee complaints detailing concerns about workplace misconduct. Activision Blizzard reportedly released a report late last year summarizing the results of the ongoing investigation, but WSJ reports that CEO Bobby Kotick declined, saying it would amplify the company’s problems and make them look worse than they are.
Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last July, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) sued Activision Blizzard for promoting a culture of “constant sexual harassment.” Since then, numerous employees have brought forward their own experiences of sexual misconduct at the company, claiming that management was aware of the behavior and may have encouraged it. The company reached an $18 million settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September, but the DFEH recently appealed the judge’s decision preventing it from intervening.
Kotick was also personally charged with abusive behavior in November and despite this, the company’s board of directors still expressed confidence in his leadership. Shortly after, more than 1,500 employees signed a petition to remove Kotick as CEO, saying only he would consider stepping down if the company’s toxic work culture couldn’t be remedied “with speed.”
Disclosure: Casey Wasserman serves on the board of directors of Activision Blizzard and on the board of directors of Vox Media, the parent company of The Verge.