The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) has responded to a comment request on the evolving situation at Activision Blizzard amid lawsuits and cultural upheaval.
Answering a request from GamesIndustry.biz after Nintendo of America CEO Doug Bowser said the company had “taken action”, the ESA didn’t directly refer to the publisher, but did outline its stance on the goings on there.
”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,” said the trade body that organises E3. “Any allegation needs to be acknowledged, thoroughly investigated, and addressed with meaningful consequences.”
“The vitality 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,” the organisation added.
This means that all three platform holders, including Microsoft, have spoken out in some form against the situation at Activision Blizzard, which has come back again as it was revealed that CEO Bobby Kotick allegedly knew about the misconduct for years.
More recently, Activision Blizzard formed the “Workplace Responsibility Committee”, which is currently made up of the only two female members of the company’s board of directors, with another “diverse” hire incoming. In the statement on this committee there’s also no mention of directly working with the company employees to resolve the workplace issues.
In other news, Microsoft has shared one of the letters it sent to Nintendo in an effort to buy the company all the way back in 1999. Safe to say, it didn’t go well.
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