Mike Morhaime Response to Blizzard Lawsuit

[Video Games]

Haha nope.

They will settle, then release D4, OW2 and new WoW expansion and it all will be forgotten like their other PR fuckups.

Lets be real - the most you will see out of it is some high profile names being let go, more Activision influence (which imo would be good) and some $$ thrown around. No, Blizzard won't die, it will take its slap on the face and will wipe the subsequent tears with $$.

It's funny to me people always forget the real id thing they tried to do which is some of the worst pr disasters I've ever seen for a game company. But it's been so long it's just been forgotten to time, just like this will.

[Gadzooks]

Metzen just posted.

https://twitter.com/ChrisMetzen/stat...76394546470913

Make of it what you will.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Metzen just posted.

https://twitter.com/ChrisMetzen/stat...76394546470913

Make of it what you will.

Never apologize to the twitter mob.

[Kellorion]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-morhaime-1081a7170?trk=people-guest_people_search-card

[Zyky]

Trial by media and cancel is dangerous, and is nothing more than mob mentality.

Ok so there's a HUGE difference between what's happening right now to Activision-Blizzard and "cancel culture". If there wasn't evidence to back up the accusations then the state of California wouldn't be involved and they wouldn't have filed legal proceedings because they wouldn't waste money further investigating and the costs of a trial on "bogus" claims. Saying this is "no more than mob mentality" is insulting to ANY rational person.

[Triceron]

I'm not even talking about the victim, what about Lore? He was there, he did nothing. What about the HR managers that were alerted to the issue? Not to mention if you were to actually read what I said you would know the answer to the question.

What about Lore?

That he said this kind of stuff was already known to HR and HR did nothing about it makes it Lores responsibility? HR was in on the cover ups from the beginning, which includes all the dubious gaslighting and seminars they subjected women to. That was all part of his criticism on the situation, that Mike knew, that HR do, and they (who are the ones responsible for handling these kind of situations) did nothing about it.

[Bakis]

Icing on the cake for a company that lost its soul long ago.

[[Apok]]

. Saying this is "no more than mob mentality" is insulting to ANY rational person.

Ah ad hominem, thinly veiled.

nice

[Nathiest]

IF TRUE! ALLEGEDLY!

Why are they speaking as if it's a proven fact. Like it was proven in a court of law?!

[uuuhname]

Ah ad hominem, thinly veiled.

nice

no it's a pretty accurate descriptor of the people who seriously cannot be bothered to read the fucking lawsuit.

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IF TRUE! ALLEGEDLY!

Why are they speaking as if it's a proven fact. Like it was proven in a court of law?!

the state found enough evidence to take it to court... wow this is really getting pathetic.

[Santti]

IF TRUE! ALLEGEDLY!

Why are they speaking as if it's a proven fact. Like it was proven in a court of law?!

Blizzard has been under investigation for 2 sodding years. The state found enough evidence to take them to the court. This isn't about whether Blizzard is guilty or not, but what we should do about it.

[Zyky]

no it's a pretty accurate descriptor of the people who seriously cannot be bothered to read the fucking lawsuit.

or watch one of the many accurate videos, from actual barred lawyers who have given their legal opinions on how fucked Activision-Blizzard actually is right now.

[uuuhname]

or watch one of the many accurate videos, from actual barred lawyers who have given their legal opinions on how fucked Activision-Blizzard actually is right now.

oh, I would be interested in watching those.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Blizzard has been under investigation for 2 sodding years. The state found enough evidence to take them to the court. This isn't about whether Blizzard is guilty or not, but what we should do about it.

2 years and they can't name who did what. "We will find out who the defendants are in discovery". Decent chance this will be dismissed.

[Kathranis]

Metzen just posted.

https://twitter.com/ChrisMetzen/stat...76394546470913

Make of it what you will.

Well, it's pretty similar to Morhaime. Admission that they contributed to the culture through inaction, by being able to distance themselves from and ignore the reality of what was going on. Obviously Metzen left a few years before the mass exodus of leadership that started in 2018.

I want to believe him, Metzen seems like such a great guy. But it's hard to reconcile him having that huge of a blind spot for guys like Afrasiabi who he worked with closely, on the daily. I guess people see what they want to see, though.

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2 years and they can't name who did what. "We will find out who the defendants are in discovery". Decent chance this will be dismissed.

Two have been named already, Afrasiabi and Bridenbecker. There are I think 6-7 more to be named. Ben Kilgore is likely another of them.

[Saltysquidoon]

Metzen just posted.

https://twitter.com/ChrisMetzen/stat...76394546470913

Make of it what you will.

Not listening enough is probably the best you could hope for considering the dude spent a not insubstantial amount of time coked out of his goddamn gourd in the office.

I'm glad though I was really hoping he didn't do anything directly.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Two have been named already, Afrasiabi and Bridenbecker. There are I think 6-7 more to be named. Ben Kilgore is likely another of them.

No. Alex Afrasabi was not named as one of the 10 unnamed defendants. "Defendant DOES ONE through TEN". "DFEH is ignorant of the true names or capacities of the defendants." "DFEH will amend this complaint to allege their true names and capacities when the same are ascertained." In other words, "We did a very thorough 2 year investigation but we don't know who did anything! Let's go on a fishing expedition and we will find out who our 10 imaginary defendants are!".

[Berndorf]

Well, it's pretty similar to Morhaime. Admission that they contributed to the culture through inaction, by being able to distance themselves from and ignore the reality of what was going on. Obviously Metzen left a few years before the mass exodus of leadership that started in 2018.

I want to believe him, Metzen seems like such a great guy. But it's hard to reconcile him having that huge of a blind spot for guys like Afrasiabi who we worked with closely, on the daily. I guess people see what they want to see, though.

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Two have been named already, Afrasiabi and Bridenbecker. There are I think 6-7 more to be named. Ben Kilgore is likely another of them.

I agree that they all were either part of it or developed a blind eye to it because they didn't want to confront or report their friends over it. So guilt by inaction. It's also strange how Bliz HR seemed so worthless in all of this. Which I think probably comes back to Morhaime as one of the women involved alleges.

[heroic moment]

No. Alex Afrasabi was not named as one of the 10 unnamed defendants. "Defendant DOES ONE through TEN". "DFEH is ignorant of the true names or capacities of the defendants." "DFEH will amend this complaint to allege their true names and capacities when the same are ascertained." In other words, "We did a very thorough 2 year investigation but we don't know who did anything! Let's go on a fishing expedition and we will find out who our 10 imaginary defendants are!".

Why are you bending over backwards to do everything you can to defend Blizzard? Are you one of their lawyers? The fact that you are looking at this lawsuit and saying "Yeah it's bull shit" is honestly sickening.

[Gadzooks]

Well, it's pretty similar to Morhaime. Admission that they contributed to the culture through inaction, by being able to distance themselves from and ignore the reality of what was going on. Obviously Metzen left a few years before the mass exodus of leadership that started in 2018.

I want to believe him, Metzen seems like such a great guy. But it's hard to reconcile him having that huge of a blind spot for guys like Afrasiabi who we worked with closely, on the daily. I guess people see what they want to see, though.

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Two have been named already, Afrasiabi and Bridenbecker. There are I think 6-7 more to be named. Ben Kilgore is likely another of them.

There's a phrase that keeps popping into my head, reading the public posts by the people involved.

Plausible deniability.

I'll stop there. Make of it what you will.

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I agree that they all were either part of it or developed a blind eye to it because they didn't want to confront or report their friends over it. So guilt by inaction. It's also strange how Bliz HR seemed so worthless in all of this. Which I think probably comes back to Morhaime as one of the women involved alleges.

Not strange to me at all. I learned a long time ago, HR is not your friend. They exist to protect the company, especially in corporations, and I've witnessed it in person - thankfully never directly. HR, in my direct experience in several large corporations, plays extremely dirty and are the most political entity in the corporate structure, and are often blatant hypocrites, liars, and gaslighters. I won't make a personal blog about my stories, but it doesn't shock me at all that HR were 100% complicit in the things the state is alleging. And, if you read the comments by current and ex-Blizzard workers, they're afraid to reach out to HR for fear of retaliation, and have zero faith in Blizzard HR.

Everyone is calling for the public face devs to be fired/punished, but what about the faceless HR drones who hid, and enabled what the state is alleging, and direct statements from those who work/worked there? Some people have posted that some employees refused to speak to women at all, or harassed them, and HR's response was "oh, he doesn't know better", or "He's just awkward."

Unacceptable. But sadly common.