Call of Duty. Candy Crush. World of Warcraft. Overwatch.
Activision Blizzard Inc. is responsible for some of the most popular video games on the market, but according to a new civil lawsuit, they’re also responsible for “fostering a sexist culture” that victimizes women.
The complaint filed by California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which can be read here, alleges that women at the company have been subjected to ongoing sexual harassment including groping and are consistently paid less than men.
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It also includes allegations of retaliation by management against women who sought to highlight the unfair and demeaning treatment they received, with women saying jobs at the company are “akin to working in a frat house.”
"All employers should ensure that their employees are being paid equally and take all steps to prevent discrimination, harassment, and retaliation," said DFEH Director Kevin Kish. "This is especially important for employers in male-dominated industries, such as technology and gaming."
In their defense, Activision Blizzard sent a statement to NPR.
"The DFEH includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard's past," the statement read. "The picture the DFEH paints is not the Blizzard workplace of today."
The company said it did not tolerate sexual harassment and that all claims of such were investigated. It also stated that employees are paid "fairly for equal or substantially similar work” and that it doesn’t discriminate against anyone financially.
"We are confident in our ability to demonstrate our practices as an equal opportunity employer that fosters a supportive, diverse, and inclusive workplace for our people, and we are committed to continuing this effort in the years to come," the statement read. "It is a shame that the DFEH did not want to engage with us on what they thought they were seeing in their investigation."
Among the other claims in the suit: allegations of male employees drinking on the job and showing up hungover, unwanted touching of females and comments on their bodies and jokes about rape.
In support of the lawsuit, several former employees took to Twitter Wednesday.
"Blizzard has claimed that the DFEH report is false/misleading/irresponsible," former Blizzard Entertainment employee Cher Scarlett tweeted. "I can tell you that I knew what was going to be in this report before I read it because during my time there - for only a YEAR - I witnessed ALL OF THESE THINGS."