To help accomplish that, the company has retained the services of prestigious law firm WilmerHale, which is the same law firm helping Amazon keep its workers from unionizing.
As the state of California’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard demonstrates, video game companies have a well-earned reputation for creating work environments that are at best uncomfortable, at worst downright hostile.
That’s exactly why the game workers unionization movement has been gaining traction over the past several years.
So when Activision Blizzard, a company currently under fire for its discriminatory practices and rampant sexual harassment issues, hires WilmerHale, a law firm with a reputation for union-busting, heads turn and brows furrow.
Partner Stephanie Avakian, who is heading up the Activision Blizzard policy review process, served as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement director during the Trump administration.
The partnership also comes at a time when Activision Blizzard employees, empowered by the very public lawsuit, have begun speaking out en masse about their companies policies.
This was followed by Wednesday’s walkout, in which Activision Blizzard employees around the world stopped working for several hours. »
