San Francisco (AFP) - Unsung workers who make movie superheroes fly and lightsabers crackle are turning to labor unions as relentless demand for content turns dream jobs into grueling routines. A union trend that started at an independent game studio last year is gaining momentum as video streaming services vie for subscribers and video game makers push to keep players engaged. The latest moves come from visual effects (VFX) crews at Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures, according to labor organizers who represent behind-the-scenes workers in entertainment. The rash of organizing comes as H...
Bobby Kotick, chief executive officer of Activision Blizzard in 2019
New York (AFP) - The video game giant Activision Blizzard said Monday it has fired nearly 40 employees and disciplined more than 40 others since July as it deals with allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct.
Over the past seven months the company has received about 700 reports of employee concerns over sexual assault or harassment or other misconduct, in some cases separate reports about the same incident, The Wall Street Journal reported.
A summary of the personnel action that the maker of "Call of Duty," "World of Warcraft" and other blockbuster games has taken was scheduled to be released before the winter holidays, the Journal said.
But CEO Bobby Kotick delayed the release, arguing that it would make the company's workplace problems look even bigger than they were known to be, the paper added.
Activision denied as "simply inaccurate" the allegation that Kotick held up the report, in a statement prompted by the Journal story.
"An interim update to our employees is still being worked on, and the company remains committed to continuing to provide periodic updates on its progress," the statement said.
It said the company has completed reviews of 90 percent of the complaints it has received since July -- it did not say how many there were -- and that "37 employees have exited the company and another 44 received written reprimands, formal warnings or other discipline."
In July, California state regulators accused the company of condoning a culture of harassment, a toxic work environment, and inequality.
In September the Securities and Exchange Commission launched a probe into the company over "disclosures regarding employment matters and related issues."
And two months later the Journal reported that Kotick, accused of mishandling the harassment complaints, had signaled he would consider stepping down if he failed to quicky fix the company culture. He has led the company for more than three decades.
Nearly 20 percent of Activision Blizzard's 9,500 employees have signed a petition calling for Kotick to resign.
The Journal said the company is under pressure from shareholders and business partners for more accountability over its handling of misconduct issues.
Late last year chief operating officer Daniel Alegre pledged a 50 percent increase in female and non-binary staff over the next five years so that they will account for more than a third of Activision's workers.
PHILADELPHIA — They arrived in yellow rental trucks, unfurled their flags, and readied shields and smoke bombs. The hour was late, and the symbolism was unsettling: As the clock inched close to midnight on July 3, about 200 members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front marched through downtown Philadelphia, past Independence Hall and other historic landmarks, while chanting, “Take America back!” If the demonstration was meant to be a show of strength for the organization, it ended meekly. After scuffling with a handful of counterprotesters, the Patriot Front members retreated into their...
Candace Parker is 2K22. The WNBA great will grace the cover of the hit basketball video game, NBA2K, for the 2022 edition. Parker, who now plays for her hometown Chicago Sky, is the first female star to be featured on the game’s cover since it launched in 1999. The cover art is a GameStop exclusive and was made special for the W’s 25th anniversary season, according to the gaming company. It will be released on Sept. 10. “Extremely proud and humbled to be the first female cover athlete in the history of 2K,” Parker wrote on Instagram Wednesday, sharing a photo of the cover art. “I’m honored to ...
New York (AFP) - Recent stock market mayhem has done what appeals to rise above self-interest could not -- gotten US politicians of all stripes to agree. While the broad partisan landscape remains combatively polarized, elected officials from the conservative right to the progressive left are standing up against what they condemn as market manipulation by Wall Street. Their first targets were hedge funds that bet shares would tank for companies in seemingly precarious financial positions such as GameStop, AMC movie theaters and Bed, Bath & Beyond. The common tactic is known as "short-selling,"...
The pandemic created the one of the most unusual years for gaming, but also one of the most lucrative. As the movie and music industries hit pause over coronavirus concerns, video games kept chugging along, proving the industry’s resilience. For some, gaming was a lifeline to normalcy while others used the medium as an escape when the world got too real. Whatever the case, gaming was a rock for many in 2020. It kept many of us sane in a rough year. My favorite games reflect the impact of the coronavirus. The life-altering pandemic amplified the importance of some projects. Other efforts were n...
