Activision-Blizzard Sued By California

[nocturnus]

It takes some really naïve people to think that all this time they've been genuine about caring about diversity and inclusion.

Thing is, you don't have to care about any of that. It's just a smart narrative to propagate because it widens your audience which in turn makes you more money. Gay pride here in Amsterdam at the moment. You wouldn't believe the amount of rainbow flags hung from stores with owners who don't give a shit about homosexual rights; it's just business.

If I needed to hire someone I wouldn't give two flying fucks about "diversity", because the whole "diversity" narrative doesn't matter in my line of work. I'd just want the best person for the job and if that means 99% of my subordinates would be straight female smurfs, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[Saltysquidoon]

Man have I seen this too much. Folks are mad so context and nuance goes right out the window. That or folks are very much in the category he was speaking about, because I sure as shit didn't read it as being a blanket statement or including me, just those harassing the developers over "WHERE IS MY CONTENT I PAID FOR AND YOU OWE ME?"

His sentiment might have been correct but his phrasing and timing sure as shit weren't. He's absolutely right about the wider culture, but, more importantly, whenever you lash out at random, anonymous, impotent talking heads on the internet implying they're the "real" problem when your house is on fire it at best comes off as frustration/denial of the issue at hand and worse calculated deflection.

Funny how they've spent the last several years trying to project this corporate woke PR with their games, and people have damn well bought every single word of it in spite of all the controversies that have been going on since 2013. Yet they are all 'surprised Pikachu face.gif' over this lawsuit. It takes some really naïve people to think that all this time they've been genuine about caring about diversity and inclusion. If they really give a damn, they'll start holding every single person responsible that is still at the company accountable for what they've done.

Did people? I'm being serious here, so far as I have seen I have only seen people at best mocking their attempts at rainbow capitalism or claiming it was deflection remember the whole 'who will they make gay next' meme after blitzchung?

[Levelfive]

His sentiment might have been correct but his phrasing and timing sure as shit weren't. He's absolutely right about the wider culture, but, more importantly, whenever you lash out at random, anonymous, impotent talking heads on the internet implying they're the "real" problem when your house is on fire it at best comes off as frustration/denial of the issue at hand and worse calculated deflection.

I don't have the tweet in front of me but it was basically: people prioritizing new content over concern for the victims are part of the problem. This is 100% true because the problem is a culture of disregard for the lives, well being, and fundamental humanity of women. This is like people complaining that Colin Kapernick taking a knee interfered with their entertainment. It's mostly just a way for axe grinding gamergaters to continue pretending they've been wronged somehow.

[Rennadrel]

J. Allen Brack out as president at Blizzard. Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will be taking over for the foreseeable future.

https://www.ign.com/articles/blizzar...-j-allen-brack

[Kokolums]

It goes back to what i said for years. Its obvious that Blizz is run by introverts. The new game ideas. Enter around solo play and feels like the design work of devs that just hate people. Im not surprised that they treat women like trash. They probably treat everyone like trash. The correct move is to hire new people that are extroverted, that actually like people. How do you innovate on an MMO when your staff just hates people??

[Woobels]

J. Allen Brack out as president at Blizzard. Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will be taking over for the foreseeable future.

https://www.ign.com/articles/blizzar...-j-allen-brack

That's most likely a temporary situation or solution to keep the company somewhat structured, it's pretty much guaranteed the Activision side of the company is going to take over running Blizzard as soon as possible now.

[Orby]

Some of those good people invested their dreams and chunks of their lives in those IPs... I wouldn't just burn it all when the situation is salvageable. That's thousands of innocent careers being needlessly tanked. The devs want changes and improvements, not a nuclear option that still hurts them more than anyone else.

I aint asking anyone to be fired here. They want to continue it then fine, but they shall do so without me because for me personally I cannot look at those properties anymore.

BUT... If they went on to do something else after the changes have been made I will check that out, because its a new IP and its been done by good people. I aint asking for a massive purge, more of a slight tinge

A little overboard here? You can just not play any of the games and move on. No reason why Hanzo, Diablo, and Arthas need to be deleted from reality.

Oh I have already stopped playing any of those games. I will not be returning. but as stated above if actions are taken and the workers at Blizzard get what they want, and Blizzard create a fresh IP, I'll play that for sure, because at least then i'd know it wasn't helped made by some pervy creep.

[Edge-]

Its obvious that Blizz is run by introverts...Im not surprised that they treat women like trash. They probably treat everyone like trash.

Why on earth do you think introverts hate people? Not being outgoing doesn't mean one hates people, dude. Why do you consistently have the worst, most incorrect takes possible?

[uuuhname]

Why on earth do you think introverts hate people? Not being outgoing doesn't mean one hates people, dude. Why do you consistently have the worst, most incorrect takes possible?

projection, that's about the simplest explanation I can come up with when people say crazy things like that, they are really talking about themselves.

[Ursus]

It goes back to what i said for years. Its obvious that Blizz is run by introverts. The new game ideas. Enter around solo play and feels like the design work of devs that just hate people. Im not surprised that they treat women like trash. They probably treat everyone like trash. The correct move is to hire new people that are extroverted, that actually like people. How do you innovate on an MMO when your staff just hates people??

This might be your most moronic hot take yet, and that's saying a lot.

[GreenJesus]

It's almost like hiring a torture apologist was a pretty transparently bad idea, eh? I don't feel bad at all that Activision's decision on which executives to hire appears to be shooting their PR efforts in the face.

I imagine their internal communications team is creating effigies of Fran right now.

- - - Updated - - -

If Activision wanted to take a concrete step towards improvement, they'd fire Fran like, today. If Blizzard wanted to show they were serious they'd be actively and openly lobbying for it.

I guess she's not just blocking employees, but also media people which is like, hilariously bad. She's a fuckin walking PR disaster, and the longer it takes for them to fire her or tell her to shut the fuck up and get the fuck off of social media, the more damage she's going to do.

At least it speaks to the values the corporation holds.

I just cant believe they are keeping her but forcing Brack out.

[Edge-]

I just cant believe they are keeping her but forcing Brack out. She's probably just the scapegoat they can use so they kept her on.

Brak is probably resigning voluntarily. Not that it's "good", but I doubt he's the sacrificial lamb.

[Levelfive]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/03/tech/...ick/index.html

"But Hutchinson said, based on her work on diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, that when scandals like this happen an overhaul at the top may ultimately be necessary to truly fix the problem.

“An investigation is not going to substitute for the need to change leadership,” she said. “The message that it sends if you run an investigation and everybody still stays there is that actually it’s okay. So I think they’re going to have to clean house.”

This somehow feels like when local business goes national.

- - - Updated - - -

Brak is probably resigning voluntarily. Not that it's "good", but I doubt he's the sacrificial lamb.

I don't know--did you see that whole post about all the Trump lackeys they installed, too? They seem to be moving in the direction of consolidating that whole crew.

ETA: I can't remember if I saw it here or on twitter, so apologies if I'm repeating it, but the anti-union law firm they hired to "investigate" is connected to Townsend.

[Saltysquidoon]

I just cant believe they are keeping her but forcing Brack out.

She's new, she's not a public-facing position and she probably has political connections that benefit Activision.
Brack was the 'face' and 'controller' of blizzard during some of the alleged issues and he was part of the whole victoria's secret video.

It makes sense from a pr, politics, and optics position.

[Edge-]

I don't know--did you see that whole post about all the Trump lackeys they installed, too? They seem to be moving in the direction of consolidating that whole crew.

You mean Fran? Who I know others will point out was originally a Clinton appointee who went on to stan for the pro-torture argument in the Bush Jr. administration.

I don't quite buy that whole narrative, even if Fran continuing to have a job is quite possibly the most confusing part of this whole debacle. Seriously, they need to take her phone and social media privileges away already. Or fire her, that would actually be preferable.

[Levelfive]

You mean Fran? Who I know others will point out was originally a Clinton appointee who went on to stan for the pro-torture argument in the Bush Jr. administration.

I don't quite buy that whole narrative, even if Fran continuing to have a job is quite possibly the most confusing part of this whole debacle. Seriously, they need to take her phone and social media privileges away already. Or fire her, that would actually be preferable.

There are a bunch besides Fran. I'll try to find it.

ETA: https://twitter.com/CinderAscendant/...970709513?s=20

[NED funded]

Why on earth do you think introverts hate people? Not being outgoing doesn't mean one hates people, dude. Why do you consistently have the worst, most incorrect takes possible?

Introverts (read gamers) tend to have certain personalities that make them rather unpleasant to be around. I agree with that person I am not surprised it happened. Obvi the fault is within the company as a whole and the people in charge but when a certain type of people gather its not surprising is all I am saying

[unfilteredJW]

Introverts (read gamers) tend to have certain personalities that make them rather unpleasant to be around. I agree with that person I am not surprised it happened. Obvi the fault is within the company as a whole and the people in charge but when a certain type of people gather its not surprising is all I am saying

Lumping all introverts in with these cunts is horseshit.

[Endus]

It goes back to what i said for years. Its obvious that Blizz is run by introverts. The new game ideas. Enter around solo play and feels like the design work of devs that just hate people. Im not surprised that they treat women like trash. They probably treat everyone like trash. The correct move is to hire new people that are extroverted, that actually like people. How do you innovate on an MMO when your staff just hates people??

This is absolute steaming hilarious nonsense. There's nothing about introverts that mean they "hate people". Stop projecting your own malice and misanthropy.

Introverts (read gamers) tend to have certain personalities that make them rather unpleasant to be around. I agree with that person I am not surprised it happened. Obvi the fault is within the company as a whole and the people in charge but when a certain type of people gather its not surprising is all I am saying

What on Earth makes introverts "unpleasant to be around"? That they're generally quiet? That they tend to keep to themselves? That they work just fine on their own?

Try having some idea what the fuck words mean before forming an opinion. Because what you said here is just fucking ridiculous.

[Edge-]

Introverts (read gamers) tend to have certain personalities that make them rather unpleasant to be around. I agree with that person I am not surprised it happened. Obvi the fault is within the company as a whole and the people in charge but when a certain type of people gather its not surprising is all I am saying

One could absolutely say the same thing about "obnoxious extroverts" and it would be equally silly, since that's such a large and diverse a group that you can't say anything meaningful/specific about them given the diversity that exists within both.