BlizzCon 2022 cancelled as Activision Blizzard CEO requests pay cut
What an interesting month October has been for those paying attention to all things Activision Blizzard related! Slight of hand renames and continuous platitudes in hopes of quelling the furious storm gathering made headlines in recent weeks. “Apologies” make it difficult to understand what is sincerely an effort to right the gross wrongs committed by the company.
The past few days have seen a whiplash of activity by Blizzard. On Wednesday, Blizzard posted the cancellation of BlizzCon for 2022. Readers might recall that in May, when the convention was first announced, the company had big plans to combine “an online show along the lines of our recent BlizzConline with smaller in-person gatherings.”
This was before the multitude of lawsuits for harassment and discrimination created a hailstorm of backlash towards the gaming giant. With the cancellation, the company says it’s redirecting the amount of effort and energy generally put into planning and executing the Con towards “supporting our teams and progressing development of our games and experiences.” Blizzard says it’s taking this “time to reimagine what a BlizzCon event of the future could look like.”
It is interesting to note that while they also mentioned the “need to ensure that [BlizzCon] feels as safe, welcoming and inclusive as possible,” there was absolutely no mention of the elephant in the room. One wonders if a company embroiled in scandal for atrocious work environments truthfully knows what that means.
Unprecedented pay cut announced by Kotick
On the heels of the cancellation, Activision Blizzard’s CEO Bobby Kotick sent a letter to employees today, pledging major changes to the company. This includes a huge pay cut for Kotick. As one of the highest paid CEOs in the US, Kotick’s base pay this year was a whopping $1.75 million. Earlier in the year, Kotick requested a downsize of his pay to $875,000. However, he recieved almost $150 million in stock, bringing his total pay with compensation to $154.6 million.
Now, he is asking for a pay cut again. “I have asked our Board of Directors to reduce my total compensation until the Board has determined that we have achieved the transformational gender-related goals and other commitments described [in the EEOC settlement]. Specifically, I have asked the Board to reduce my pay to the lowest amount California law will allow for people earning a salary, which this year is $62,500. To be clear, this is a reduction in my overall compensation, not just my salary. I am asking not to receive any bonuses or be granted any equity during this time,” his letter stated.
In addition to the pay cut, Kotick outlined five new changes at Blizzard. The letter detailed each of these changes, but in part includes a“zero-tolerance harassment policy.” Blizzard plans to bring “the percentage of women and non-binary people in our workforce” up to 50% and an investment of $250 million to accomplish that goal. Kotick also pledged to continue “visibility on pay equity” and to “provide regular progress updates.”
As is the habit lately, Kotick once again apologized to those affected by the lawsuits. He assured them of his commitment to the company values and to create a better workplace. As lawsuits pile up and constant revolving doors of “sorry” swings again, time will tell of changes made.
