And It’s a Soft Comment Compared to Others From the Industry
It’s been exciting times with the Activision Blizzard controversy. Ever since the Wallstreet journal came out with its report on how Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, hid his knowledge of the sexual harassment of his employees, there have been comments from other big names of the industry. PlayStation had something to say on the matter. So did Xbox. Nintendo too. And now, we’ve heard from ESA. This is important, as ESA, also known as the Entertainment Software Association, is the trade association for the gaming industry in America. Activision Blizzard is a member, as well as Capcom, Nintendo, EA, Konami, Microsoft, among other big names. They are also the prime organizers for the biggest gaming convention show in the industry, E3.
When asked by Stephen Totilo of Axios, ESA released the following statement:
“Harassment, abuse, or mistreatment of any kind in the workplace is unacceptable and must never be tolerated. When allegations arise, people impacted need to have their voices heard. Any allegation needs to be acknowledged, thoroughly investigated, and addressed with meaningful consequences. The fatality of our industry requires that everyone in the workplace–and in our communities–feels valued and respected. As an industry association, the ESA convenes its member companies to create dialogue and shape actions to ensure that these beliefs are realized.”
I’ve been asking the ESA for comment about Activision. As the industry’s leading trade group and the hosts of E3 they’re in a position to speak to the conduct of their member publishers
I’d also asked what measures the group is taking.
Here’s their statement. pic.twitter.com/kly25akm4J
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) November 23, 2021
While it’s understandable that things need to be verified and thoroughly checked. Not to mention, it could be feeling the pressure with Blizzard being one of the biggest gaming names in the industry. But it also does not read well, when Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox have all released statements that were far more critical. Phil Spencer, head of the Xbox, even said that they are “evaluating all aspects of our relationship with Activision Blizzard and making ongoing proactive adjustments.”
Then again, all we’ve heard are just statements. We don’t know if ESA, Nintendo, PlayStation, or Xbox is even planning on taking any actions against the gaming giant, despite what’s happened. We can only hope that they do, for the sake of protecting gaming industry employees and improving the gaming industry workplace.