According to a report from Axios, almost 500 current and former Ubisoft employees signed an open letter in support of Activision Blizzard employees who spoke out against the actions of their company. This comes as part of the unfolding story around the lawsuit presently facing Activision Blizzard over allegations of misconduct and a discriminatory workplace.
Here's the letter in full. It doesn't just stand with AB workers, doesn't just criticize Ubisoft bosses. It calls for industry-wide action and change, with publishers and developers getting involved. pic.twitter.com/WMNmRHjrq0
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) July 28, 2021
The letter goes on to detail the workers’ dissatisfaction with the way Ubisoft has handled its own allegations of sexual misconduct within the workplace. In July of 2020, dozens of employees made public claims of the harassment and abuse they experienced while working at Ubisoft. The Paris-based company headquarters were often described as a “frat house.” A similar descriptor has also come up in the Activision Blizzard lawsuit, with workers alleging a “frat boy” culture at the company.
This points to a larger problem within the culture of game development. The open letter from Ubisoft employees addresses this as well, calling for “real, fundamental changes…across the industry.”
Big game developers like Activision Blizzard, Ubisoft and Riot Games have all come under fire in recent years for widespread allegations of misconduct and creating an unsafe working environment. The lawsuit against Activision Blizzard has spurred an industry-wide movement to condemn this behavior and attempt to change it for the better, starting with a walkout organized by Activision Blizzard employees on July 28.
