Activision Blizzard will not be part of The Game Awards this year, its host and creator have confirmed.
Geoff Keighley stated in a Twitter thread Saturday that the company under fire will not appear in the program, beyond the nominations for the awards that have their games.
“Beyond their nominations, I can confirm that Activision Blizzard will not be part of this year’s Game Awards,” Keighley said.
“The Game Awards are a time of celebration for this industry, the world’s largest form of entertainment. There is no place for abuse, harassment or predatory practices in any company or community.
“I also realize that we have a great platform that can accelerate and inspire change. We are committed to that, but we must all work together to build a better and more inclusive environment so that everyone feels safe to build the best games in the world. We are all responsible for this standard.
“Amazing games, and the talented developers who create them, are who we want to celebrate. I’ll see you on thursday.”
Keighley’s statement comes in the wake of some criticism following a Washington Post interview published Friday in which he seemed undecided about whether Activision Blizzard should participate in the show.
During that interview, Keighley explained that while he supported people who reported harassment and discrimination against the company, he also wanted to celebrate the games developers were making.
“We want to support employees and developers,” Keighley said during the interview. “We have to think very carefully about how to proceed here.”
Their stance appears to have changed since then, and Activision Blizzard games will not appear as part of the show.
Activision Blizzard has continued to come under strong criticism for its apparent continued failure to adequately address allegations of harassment and discrimination at the company.
Last month, a Wall Street Journal report alleged that CEO Bobby Kotick was aware of multiple allegations of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard, and also accused him of personally mistreating multiple female employees.
Activision Blizzard is currently facing multiple regulatory investigations for alleged sexual assault and employee harassment, many of which have targeted World of Warcraft developer Blizzard.
However, the Wall Street Journal report claimed that cases of sexual assault and abuse have been widespread at the company, including at the Call of Duty Treyarch and Sledgehammer Games development studios.
Following the report, Nintendo of America boss Doug Bowser, PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, and Xbox boss Phil Spencer sent separate emails to their respective employees expressing concern about Activision’s response to the allegations. of sexual harassment.
Kotick has reportedly told senior managers that he would be willing to resign if he cannot “quickly fix” the company’s cultural problems.
While last year’s Game Awards show was not filmed in front of a live audience due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Game Awards 2021 will be an in-person event at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on December 9.
The eighth annual event will be a major production with an orchestra on stage, celebrity guests, the royal awards, and a host of game reveals.
Arkane’s Deathloop is nominated for nine awards, Insomniac’s Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has six, while Hazelight’s It Takes Two and Double Fine’s Psychonauts received five nominations each.
Los nominados al Juego del año son Deathloop, It Takes Two, Metroid Dread, Psychonauts 2, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart y Resident Evil Village.
The Last of Us Part 2 was the big winner at The Game Awards 2020, taking home seven of the 10 awards it was nominated for.
The 2020 show saw reveals of a Perfect Dark reboot and an untitled Mass Effect game from Bioware.
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