LOL, they say they’ll replace the staff and honor existing contracts. It’s gonna be shit quality. All their partners will be better off severing ties, reclaiming paid funds, and going with the new company that inevitably forms from the department previously known as Annapurna Interactive.
This is true! But I think the “good” (?) news there is Annapurna Studios is not going anywhere, and they retained all the IP their subsidiary holds. Sucks for the former Annapurna Interactive folks that they can’t bring the IP with them, but c’est la vie.
The investigation found that Barrett called lower-level female employees attractive, asked them to play truth-or-dare and made references to his wealth and power within the studio, suggesting that he could help advance their careers, according to two people familiar with the case.
In a statement to Bloomberg News, Barrett said that throughout nearly 25 years at Bungie, “I feel that I have always conducted myself with integrity and been respectful and supportive of my colleagues, many of whom I consider my closest friends. I never understood my communications to be unwanted and I would have never thought they could possibly have made anyone feel uncomfortable. If anyone ever felt that way about their interaction with me, I am truly sorry.”
Uh…
That might hold water if it was just casual flirting (though you should seriously be trained at any company near that scale that even that with anyone in your “chain of command” puts them in a really bad spot). But not for (alleged) open quid pro quo.
Seriously, I just finished my annual “preventing harassment’ training and there’s a whole section on power differential and how just asking puts employees in a bad spot. Just…don’t.
It’s one thing to say “your hair looks nice today, Susan.” I don’t think 99% of people would take that as anything beyond an innocent compliment.
Asking to play truth or dare is another thing entirely, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the guy saying that, probably isn’t going to just be complimenting Tina’s earrings
I knew a dude who worked at Activision Blizzard and his description of his workplace sounded horrid. The weird part was his fawning bright eyed love for the office culture. He viewed it as a perfect dream workplace. I don’t even know it there’s a takeaway from all that. It just always struck me as notably odd
They have plenty of leverage. WoW runs on centralized servers which cannot maintain themselves, and are likely still under constant forms of Cyberattack, waiting for a serious vulnerability.
Don’t overestimate what unions do. MS is still perfectly in their right to close down the studio and fire all it’s staff, if they had a mind to.
It’s just a matter of doing it properly. Severance Pay, Pensions and such. Which I honestly don’t think Microsoft cares too much about.
I mean, if they can avoid paying it, they would. But they do actually have a legitimate business side. And severance pay for the entire Blizzard staff would likely still cost them less than what they had to pay Kotick to get rid of him.
bloomberg.com
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