Trigger warning: Sexual harassment, mentions of suicide, racism, and sexism
On July 21, the state of California brought a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over an alleged “pervasive frat boy workplace culture.” Activision Blizzard has since responded to those allegations and its chief compliance officer Frances F. Townsend added her own voice to that response this morning via an email sent to Activision staff.
Yesterday, Activision Blizzard responded to California’s lawsuit, calling those reports “false descriptions of Blizzard’s past.” Blizzard’s president, J. Allen Brack, also sent out his own email following the report and called the accounts “extremely troubling” and noting that he would be meeting with employees to discuss how to move on going forward.
Today’s email from Townsend states, “As the Executive Sponsor of the ABK Employee Women’s Network and our Chief Compliance Officer, I wanted to reach out to you. I know this has been difficult for many of us. A recently filed lawsuit presented a distorted and untrue picture of our company, including factually inaccurate, old, and out of context stories – some from more than a decade ago.
The Activision companies of today, the Activision companies that I know, are great companies with good values. When I joined the Executive Leadership Team, I was certain that I was joining a company where I would be valued, treated with respect, and provided opportunities equal to those afforded to the men of the company. For me, this has been true during my time. As a leader, I am committed to making sure that the experience I have is the same as the rest of the organization. We have a leadership team that is committed to these principles in every way.
We work at a company that truly values equality and fairness. Rest assured that leadership is committed to continuing to maintain a safe, fair, and inclusive workplace. We cannot let egregious actions of others, and a truly meritless and irresponsible lawsuit, damage our culture of respect and equal opportunity for all employees. We aspire in our company to do great things: in our games, in our impact on society, and in our work environment. We continue to hold firm to our principles and invest, as we have in the past, the sources to ensure quality opportunities for all employees. We remain committed as a leadership team to doing what is right.”
The allegations Townsend refers to includes numerous reports from women that they have been sexually harassed, denied equal opportunities, and faced racism and sexism from male coworkers. In one instance, a woman also took her life during a trip with the company. California’s lawsuit also includes police statements that reinforce some of these accounts. This email contradicts the earlier email from Brack, who did not go as far as to deny the allegations.
Townsend is also new to Blizzard, having only been hired back in March of this year. If her name is familiar, that’s because she’s a former Bush-era United States Homeland Security Advisor. And as Kotaku outlined, Townsend was among those defending the administration and its use of waterboarding.
According to Politico, following the firing of James Comey, Townsend was also on Trump’s shortlist to replace him as FBI director. Her hiring at Activision Blizzard marks her departure from politics, and she’s spoken fondly of her ten-year relationship with CEO Bobby Kotick in the past.
Next: If The Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Shocks You, You Haven't Been Paying Attention
