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“It was really, really disturbing to hear this stuff.”
The director of Diablo 2: Resurrected said players should “do what they think is right” when deciding whether or not to support publisher Activision Blizzard by purchasing the remake when it goes on sale next week.
This is the first game the company has released since allegations of a “frat boy” work culture at Activision Blizzard were made by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, though it’s important to note that the main developer here is Vicarious Visions, who was neither involved nor involved in the lawsuit.
“It was really, really unsettling to hear this stuff,” design director Rob Gallerani told Axios (thanks, VGC). “And we really wanted to support our colleagues and coworkers.”
Gallerani added that studio management had invited employees to give their thoughts on how he could better support his staff, adding that while he had “heard a lot of really positive things,” it was important that management ” must always keep asking “.
Interestingly, while the controversy saw Blizzard scour its games for problematic content such as references to former employees who were involved in the sexual harassment lawsuit, no such issues were reportedly found in Diablo 2: Resurrected, although its Amazon Warrior has been tweaked to make it appear less sexualized.
“A lot of those views weigh very heavily on us,” said Gallerani, who made the switch to make sure the characters look like warriors and not like people who are “out of a nightclub”. .
ICYMI, Activision employees have filed a new complaint against Activision Blizzard accusing the company of using “coercive tactics” to prevent the organization’s efforts to improve working conditions.
As Matt reported at the time, the allegations come as part of an ongoing lawsuit by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleging sexual harassment, discrimination and a work culture of ” frat boy “at Blizzard. Although the company disputed the allegation, more than 2,000 current and former Activision Blizzard employees signed a petition describing the company’s widely criticized initial response to the lawsuit as “odious and insulting”, with strike action resulting in more than 500 workers going off the hook and “hundreds” more and more participating virtually across the world in an effort to improve working conditions.
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