A Senior QA employee at Activision Blizzard has publicly alleged that he was harassed by company leadership at the studio’s Lakeline office multiple times. The claim has once again raised concerns about the workplace culture within Activision Blizzard.
The company known for making blockbusters like Call of Duty and Overwatch has been in the middle of such allegations multiple times over the years.
In a LinkedIn post shared last week, Tyler Perez, who identifies himself as a Senior TRG QA at Activision Blizzard, claimed that he “was harassed in the restroom multiple times at the Lakeline office… by leadership.” Perez further stated that “there were no actions taken against those who harassed me and possibly others at the Lakeline office,” warning colleagues to “be careful.”
The post quickly gained traction, being reposted by multiple developers from the gaming industry. However, at the time of this writing, no public response is issued by Activision Blizzard.
As you may already know this isn’t the first time Blizzard has come under fire for workplace culture issues. California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed a high-profile 2021 lawsuit accusing Activision Blizzard of fostering a “frat boy” workplace culture marked by sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation against female employees.
Activision Blizzard denied these allegations, but the lawsuit prompted company-wide leadership changes, multiple investigations, and massive public scrutiny.
In 2022, a board-commissioned investigation led by former EEOC chair Gilbert F. Casellas concluded that there was “no evidence that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored or systematically tolerated harassment.” A 2023 transparency report confirmed that 36 employees shared substantiated concerns relating to harassment or discrimination.
Sources Used
- Activision Blizzard Substantiates More Than Two Dozen Misconduct Cases (Axios, 2023)
- California Sues Activision Blizzard Over Widespread Harassment (Wired, 2021)
- Board Investigation Finds No Evidence of Widespread Harassment (Axios, 2022)
