The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) towards Activision Blizzard this week over alleged sexual harassment and discrimination towards girls. In a memo to employees obtained , Blizzard Entertainment president wrote that “the allegations and the hurt of current and former employees are extremely troubling.”

Brack wrote that everybody ought to really feel protected at Blizzard and that “it is completely unacceptable for anyone in the company to face discrimination or harassment.” He famous it requires braveness for folks to return ahead with their tales, and that each one claims delivered to the corporate are taken significantly and investigated.

“People with different backgrounds, views, and experiences are essential for Blizzard, our teams, and our player community,” Brack wrote. “I disdain ‘bro culture,’ and have spent my career fighting against it.”

, the DFEH made a string of accusations towards former senior artistic director Alex Afrasiabi. The company alleged that Afrasiabi was “permitted to engage in blatant sexual harassment with little to no repercussions” and recommended that the exercise was an open secret.

Brack is claimed to be amongst those that have been conscious of Afrasiabi’s purported actions. The DFEH claimed Brack “allegedly had multiple conversations with Afrasiabi about his drinking and that he had been ‘too friendly’ towards female employees at company events but gave Afrasiabi a slap on the wrist (i.e. verbal counseling) in response to those incidents.” After these supposed talks, Afrasiabi “continued to make unwanted advances towards female employees,” together with groping one among them, in response to the swimsuit.

The DFEH claimed a Blizzard worker knowledgeable Brack in early 2019 that individuals have been leaving the corporate due to sexual harassment and sexism. The worker allegedly mentioned that girls on the Battle.internet staff have been “subjected to disparaging comments,” that “the environment was akin to working in a frat house” and that girls who weren’t “huge gamers” or “into the party scene” have been “excluded and treated as outsiders.”

Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. It claimed the swimsuit “includes distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past.” The firm additionally accused the DFEH, which investigated Activision Blizzard for 2 years, of “disgraceful and unprofessional” conduct and claimed the company did not have interaction in a “good faith effort” to resolve complaints earlier than resorting to authorized motion.

“A recently filed lawsuit presented a distorted and untrue picture of our company, including factually incorrect, old and out of context stories — some from more than a decade ago,” Fran Townsend, govt vice chairman for company affairs on the writer, wrote in a memo to workers. Some Blizzard workers are “fuming” over the notice, .

Townsend, a former Homeland Security advisor to President George W. Bush who joined Activision Blizzard this 12 months, mentioned “the Activision companies of today, the Activision companies that I know, are great companies with good values.” Townsend additionally claimed Activision Blizzard “takes a hardline approach to inappropriate or hostile work environments and sexual harassment issues” and that the corporate has “put tremendous effort into creating fair compensation policies that reflect our commitment to equal opportunity.”