Afrasiabi left Blizzard?

[Tortuga234]

The problem with a lot of stuff with him is there is no context. Like what’s the relationship like with him and the girls hand he grabbed? Or the girls at Blizzcon? Are they friends joking around? Is he forcefully doing it? Is she going along with it? Is it friendly banter? Was she uncomfortable and was it unwanted? Was she doing it back? There’s not any context for any of it.

People should just chill out until we know more actual details beyond a deceptive Bloomberg article and a court document from their accusers.

If a lot of is shown to be true. Then feel free to say what you want about it. Until then, chill out because we don’t actually know anything yet.

Or the female was ok with the grabbing until she changed her mind and decided that she can now get something out of that situation. Covid lockdown has it's upsides. Noone can ever accuse you of something you can't prove you didn't do because you can just record the zoom conversations. Brilliant.

[Edge-]

The internet is up in arms about this because of how Bloomberg worded it. It's flat out deceptive and misleading.

So are many of the victims who have since left, or are still at, Blizzard. I'm sticking with them on this over someone nitpicking details to attempt to undermine the whole thing.

[Mojo03]

So are many of the victims who have since left, or are still at, Blizzard. I'm sticking with them on this over someone nitpicking details to attempt to undermine the whole thing.

Let me be more specific. The internet is up in arms about this specific example because of how Bloomberg worded it.

But that's cute you can't even own to the fact that I was right.

[Berndorf]

So are many of the victims who have since left, or are still at, Blizzard. I'm sticking with them on this over someone nitpicking details to attempt to undermine the whole thing.

The simple fact that the state of Calif felt the need to do a two year undercover type investigation in the first place tells me they had received so many complaints or info regarding the workplace environment at Bliz that it was very pervasive throughout the company. Regardless of how people want to portray the reasoning for why a female employee committed suicide.

[Mojo03]

The simple fact that the state of Calif felt the need to do a two year undercover type investigation in the first place tells me they had received so many complaints or info regarding the workplace environment at Bliz that it was very pervasive throughout the company. Regardless of how people want to portray the reasoning for why a female employee committed suicide.

It wasn't undercover. They knew about it the whole time.

If you read the actual court documents it says numerous times:

"Defendant Activision Blizzard, Inc is now and was at all times relevant to this complaint"

[Adoxe]

There's no way that group didn't know about it. Afrasiabi was in that same inner circle along with Metzen, Brack, Samwise, Kaplan, etc. He was one of the faces of the game, always up on stage, doing interviews, appearing in the bts featurettes, etc., going back to Classic and BC.

And he switched over to Titan along with Metzen and Kaplan, before that project floundered.

Makes me a bit concerned about Jeff "Tigole Bitties" Kaplan, too. They seem to have kinda been a pair ("Tigule and Foror"), both coming to WoW from the EQ community. Kaplan's exit was also abrupt and rather unceremonius, and like Afrasiabi he hasn't been snapped up by any other studios yet.

Hope the concern is unfounded. No mention of any shady shit on the OW team, which also had a lot of new blood.

This might be a bit of a conspiracy theory but I actually feel like Kaplan got fired for co-operating with the investigations and not siding with the Blizzard higher ups.

[Berndorf]

It wasn't undercover. They knew about it the whole time.

If you read the actual court documents it says numerous times:

"Defendant Activision Blizzard, Inc is now and was at all times relevant to this complaint"

I don't think it really makes a difference whether it was undercover or not tbh. My point was that when it gets to that point of the state feeling the need to do such an investigation it's likely that things have gotten really bad on top of whatever they uncovered in the investigation during those two years.

[Mojo03]

I don't think it really makes a difference whether it was undercover or not tbh. My point was that when it gets to that point of the state feeling the need to do such an investigation it's likely that things have gotten really bad on top of whatever they uncovered in the investigation during those two years.

I'm more just trying to keep the narratives accurate and grounded by what can be proven.

Ya, I mean, I'm not disagreeing. I really don't know obviously..

The cynic in me could also see it being in part a cash grab. The state and the accusers want a lot of money from them. The last page of the document lists 8 forms of "relief" they want from Blizzard, which essentially looks like fat cash for everyone involved in the case in any way...

Hard to 100% believe its all in good faith by all parties involved knowing that, but I really don't know.

[Mardux]

So are many of the victims who have since left, or are still at, Blizzard. I'm sticking with them on this over someone nitpicking details to attempt to undermine the whole thing.

So its "guilty until proven innocent"? Nice.

[Edge-]

So its "guilty until proven innocent"? Nice.

I mean in terms of personal opinion...yeah? We can hold whatever opinion we want while this thing goes to court, and disagree with the ruling afterwards if we want. "Guilty until proven innocent" literally only matters when it comes to the law, not public opinion.

[Mentacyde]

Blizzard are sexual assault/harassment apologists.

[Tortuga234]

So are many of the victims who have since left, or are still at, Blizzard. I'm sticking with them on this over someone nitpicking details to attempt to undermine the whole thing.

You raped me 7 years ago. I'm suing you.

Infracted. Inappropriate topic. -- Lucetia

[Santti]

You raped me 7 years ago. I'm suing you.

Sure.

Good luck at the court. I'm sure they will come up at the right decision.

My personal opinion, however, is that you are full of shit. I'm not the judge, nor am I the court of law, and can form my own opinion on the subject, thanks. I'm sure you have formed many an opinion yourself, about people, without the law ever coming into it. Or you haven't, and I have to then seriously question how do you even function?

[Kathranis]

This might be a bit of a conspiracy theory but I actually feel like Kaplan got fired for co-operating with the investigations and not siding with the Blizzard higher ups.

Kaplan was one of the top executives. He was VP, and a game director. Also one of Afrasiabi's closest coworkers dating back to their shared experience in the EQ community and as quest designers on Classic.

If anything, I feel the opposite would be more likely. There's no way Kaplan couldn't have known about all this.

[masterhorus8]

I mean in terms of personal opinion...yeah? We can hold whatever opinion we want while this thing goes to court, and disagree with the ruling afterwards if we want. "Guilty until proven innocent" literally only matters when it comes to the law, not public opinion.

Also, this is a civil court case, so it is up to Blizzard to prove innocence.

[Zyky]

Also, this is a civil court case, so it is up to Blizzard to prove innocence.

Based on their statement rather than trying to prove innocence they're going to be trying to claim that the state of California kept them out of the loop and that they made a "rash and rushed judgement".

[Kathranis]

almost all of those words are serious except 'grab employee's hand' line, it makes me wonder if they are overreacting or serious
i mean he seems to been horrible, real horrible to cause suicide of someone, but are they blaming him for hand grab? is he supposed to communicate with sign language?

The suicide stuff is a different section of the complaint and refers to a manager I believe. May have been at a different ATVI subsidiary, it's kind of hard to tell from the filing.

As for the hand grab, keep your hands to yourself. Communicate verbally. Or, like, if you need to get their attention in a noisy room, don't grab the person. Tap them on the shoulder.

[masterhorus8]

Based on their statement rather than trying to prove innocence they're going to be trying to claim that the state of California kept them out of the loop and that they made a "rash and rushed judgement".

Why would they need to be kept in the loop on how they're supposed to act? The onus is on them.

Just a reminder, this court filing isn't from a victim. It's from a state department saying "you guys didn't do what you're supposed to do and fucked up."

EDIT: Just read Blizz's response on the front page. And this is how civil cases work. It'll be a back and forth several times with new waves of docs and responses to each other. Next will be on the DFEH to either provide documents that they did indeed contact Blizz or to show that they didn't need to because of whatever reason they say they have.

[Berndorf]

Kaplan was one of the top executives. He was VP, and a game director. Also one of Afrasiabi's closest coworkers dating back to their shared experience in the EQ community and as quest designers on Classic.

If anything, I feel the opposite would be more likely. There's no way Kaplan couldn't have known about all this.

I would guess that Kaplan was involved to some degree and simply got better terms for leaving than Afrasiabi did.

- - - Updated - - -

So its "guilty until proven innocent"? Nice.

tbh, I think we are past the point of guilt/innocence. I think the state probably has a folder about a 1,000 pages long full of proof of what they are charging them with. So it's just a matter of how much punishment Bliz gets while trying to put out a good face for pr reasons. The question becomes whether people like Brack survive as execs.

[Jester Joe]

So its "guilty until proven innocent"? Nice.

What kind of "hot take" is this? They had an investigation over two years to find evidence that the claims were valid. That's kinda the point here. Obviously they'll go to court and have a chance to defend themselves, but unless I'm missing something drastic here the reason it's going to court in the first place is that they found evidence that there is such behavior taking place.

That doesn't change that in the eyes of the law it's "innocent until proven guilty", but the entire point of that is to get a fair trial.
Not that you could have a dozen people watch someone murder a person and then be like, "Wow, they're innocent until proven guilty, come on man".