Game Bytes: More Trouble For Activision Blizzard, And The Game Awards Nominations
Deals have started for the Holiday season and with Thanksgiving passed and Hannukah beginning, there is tons of news in the video game world. Activision Blizzard is truly the gift that keeps on giving with how they always are in the forefront of video game news. PlayStation was also in the news for their own issues and we have some of the nominees for this year’s Game Awards.
Activision Blizzard should be a household name at this point with how often they are spoken of. Phil Spencer of Microsoft’s Xbox and Jim Ryan of Sony’s PlayStation both expressed their dissatisfaction with how the company is handling itself following the most recent Wall Street Journal post in which it was reported that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick had been aware of sexual misconduct allegations at the company for years and has had his own history of harassment and abusive behavior. The problems appear to go all the way to the top, as the new WSJ report contains numerous troubling stories of Kotick’s awareness of problems and of his own behavior. This is also following a massive walkout by Activision Blizzard employees after nearly 1,000 of them signed a petition to remove Kotick.
In regards to the actions by the company, PlayStation had this to say: “We outreached to Activision immediately after the article was published to express our deep concern and to ask how they plan to address the claims made in the article. We do not believe their statements of response properly address the situation.” In response to all of this, Bobby Kotick himself made a video, of which Activision Blizzard have posted the full transcript on their website. He addresses the article by saying it “paints an inaccurate and misleading view of our company, of me personally, and my leadership.” A few days after the video he called a conference with board members to discuss the future of Activision Blizzard in the face of recent controversy and allegations. The CEO told his colleagues he’d consider resigning if the countermeasures put in place to combat the developers’ toxic workplace culture didn’t fix issues “with speed.” This news comes days after some company shareholders called on Kotick to resign. Whether or not he will resign is yet to be seen though it seems many in the company want him gone.
PlayStation has been hit with a lawsuit on gender discrimination and wrongful termination, as first reported by Axios. According to the details of the suit, former IT security analyst Emma Majo is seeking to establish a class action lawsuit to represent other women who might’ve been affected by PlayStation’s alleged gender discrimination. The lawsuit claims that “Sony tolerates and cultivates a work environment that discriminates against female employees,” alleging that women were denied promotions and weren’t paid equally. This suit came about less than a week after Jim Ryan had called out Activision Blizzard on the same issue.
The Game Awards (hosted by Geoff Keighley) airs on Dec. 9 live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. There is a full list of the nominees in which you can vote for your favorite on their website. Some of the popular categories include Best Narrative, Best Indie Game, and of course Game of the Year. For the Game of the Year category, the nominees are: Deathloop, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil Village. Let us know which you are hoping takes home the title of Video Game of the Year.
November has brought in many games for all to enjoy so far. On the 16th, Moncage (PC, iOS, Android); Ruined King: A League of Legends Story (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC); Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC); Surviving The Aftermath (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC); The Smurfs: Mission Vileaf Smurftastic Edition (Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch) and The Wild At Heart (PlayStation 4) were released. Following on the 17th, 18th and 19th were Fae Tactics (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One); Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier (iOS, Android); Tamarin (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One); BloodRayne 2: ReVamped (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch); BloodRayne: ReVamped (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch); Epic Chef (PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC); Exo One (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC); UnDungeon (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC); Battlefield 2042 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC); NERF Legends (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC); Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (Switch); Pokémon Shining Pearl (Switch). On the 22nd we had Before We Leave (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One) and Farming Simulator 22 (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, Stadia). Released on the 23rd was Death’s Door (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch) and Disney Classic Games Collection (Xbox One, Switch) with finally Lego Builder’s Journey (Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One) releasing on the 25th.
Don’t forget to enjoy all your leftovers and stay warm and safe this upcoming December. Remember to follow us on YouTube and Twitch or any other platform you like to use for reviews, articles, cosplay and so much more of the content you all love.
