Game Developer sources reported that Activision Blizzard management held an all-hands meeting (noting that no recording was made) that was livestreamed, where they answered pre-screened employee questions.
Leadership continues to back Bobby Kotick. Most of their answers echoed Activision Blizzard’s recent statements, but some details were revealed.
Activision Blizzard deliberately extended the Thanksgiving break to a full week after learning that a Wall Street Journal investigation was in the works (published on November 16). According to Game Developer, this suggests that Kotick’s defense had been planned in advance.
When employees asked whether the company's touting of “zero tolerance” for workplace misconduct would apply to Bobby Kotick himself, whose alleged misdeeds were exposed in the Wall Street Journal investigation, leadership replied that the company had no evidence supporting the claims against Kotick, as they took place over a decade ago.
The board of directors is still not giving up Bobby Kotick. However, “industry peers” have already begun to speak out. For instance, the head of PlayStation recently criticized Activision.