Game developer Activision Blizzard accused of hosting 'struggle sessions' for white developers to discuss their 'privilege'



Video game company Activision Blizzard allegedly pushes employees to participate in diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and installs diversity officers to ensure DEI compliance for each video game.

Former Blizzard designer Mark Kern posted an allegedly leaked internal document that showed the studio — which develops popular titles like World of Warcraft and Call of Duty — has been pushing its extensive DEI work on its employees.

'Together, we will build a future that embraces diversity, fosters inclusivity, and empowers all.'

Kern also made other alarming claims that he said came from sources inside the company.

"I've been shocked at what my former co-workers have told me about Activision Blizzard. It's a very different place from what it used to be, when the games were better and we left politics out of it," he told Blaze News.

"Blizzard now has struggle sessions where white developers must discuss their privilege, and DEI emails go out every week. 'Non-mandatory' meetings that are clearly and openly mandatory, and now, review forms that have you rate how well you DEI/ESG."

"I've been told nearly every game design decision at Activision has to be run by DEI officers (their official title) that sit on the teams themselves. I hope that hasn't reached Blizzard itself, but I fear the worst," he added.

Activision representative Delaney Simmons did not address any of the above claims when asked by Blaze News. Among other questions, the spokesperson was asked about the alleged sessions and whether participation in DEI programs affects an employee's job standing. This article will be updated with any applicable responses.

Activision DEI Leaked! Plus:

- Your bonus and review depend on how hard you DEI.

- DEI Officers are installed on every dev team to ensure THE MESSAGE.

Of all the AAA Studios out there, my dev friends and contacts who have come forth tell me that @Ubisoft and @Activision are… pic.twitter.com/TDZqRn6v0o
— Grummz (@Grummz) May 16, 2024

In the alleged leaked email, said to be company-wide, Activision Blizzard shouts from the mountain tops about its DEI work.

The document was sent to Kern as an alleged internal leak, but Activision's Simmons told Blaze News that it was not "a leak," and then pointed to the company's 2023-2024 Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Report.

In the document, the studio boasted about its curation of "meaningful DE&I focused learning opportunities" and the creation of the "IGD council."

The acronym stands for "Inclusive Game Design," which later led to the company creating an IGD team.

According to its website, the Activision Blizzard IGD team is responsible for "embedding advocates, best practices, and innovations" in all the company's games.

This is to "ensure that our games are the most diverse, welcoming, and inclusive."

The apparent newsletter also bragged about working with "Minority-owned Businesses [sic] Enterprises" before thanking readers for their support in their dedication to "holistic inclusivity."

"Together, we will build a future that embraces diversity, fosters inclusivity, and empowers all," the letter closed. The document was signed by Casey Morris, the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.

The DEI infusion did not end there by any stretch of the imagination. The company promoted a series of strange "employee networks" that are based on race or sexuality. These included "the black employee network," the "LGBT+ employee network," and the "multicultural employee network."

The company has even stated in its report that it introduced an "inclusion score" for its employees. The score represents "a quantitative measure of the extent to which employees feel welcomed, valued, and included within the organization."

This was used as a justification for the company collecting "DE&I Data," which means tracking race, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Company data showed that it is over 60% white and 79% male.

Only 1% identified as nonbinary.

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'Trans rights are human rights': Developers of new Star Wars Outlaws game publicly renounce 'oppression' and inequality



The developers behind the latest Star Wars Outlaws video game denounced oppression and inequality in a series of images about what equality means to them.

The Swedish developers at Massive Entertainment, a subsidiary of Montreal's Ubisoft, celebrated International Women's Day by posing with their arms sideways in an attempt to depict an equal sign, with #EachForEqual on their photos.

The team wasted no time getting into woke responses; the first female employee responded by saying equality, to her, meant "not having to do other people's emotional labor."

The first male employee stated that equality meant "renouncing all forms of oppression."

"Feeling safe without anxiety and fear of being judged," another employee added, while a succinct male employee simply said, "It's in the word."

A female employee, who appeared in a shirt that read "Baby it's [cold] outside" with the word "cold" missing — perhaps in protest to the 1944 song — said that equality meant "having representation" in games, which are "written and created by people from the communities we represent."

"That is huge," she added.

The lengthiest response was also the most buzz-word laden and political response.

"Equality means that all people — regardless of their birth or background — deserve the same respect and opportunity," a male employee began.

"For some, this will mean being provided aid so that they may aspire to rise above social, mental, or physical friction which might otherwise prevent them from succeeding," he continued.

"We're all on this boat together, and we don't have long on this ride. Be kind. Be weird. Be free. Trans rights are human rights," he added.

@Grummz There's more lol \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffb
— (@)

Not all answers were infused with woke ideology; one male employee wearing a hat with a drink in his hand declared that the team was "here to work, and if anything, we should be judge[d] by our competences, not by the way we look."

Another simply said "respect," while others stuck to a reasonable definition of equality, taking it to mean that people should be treated fairly no matter their background.

The progressive responses are not atypical of the group, however, which boasts a feature image of pride flags on the company's page regarding commitments.

Participating in Malmo, Sweden's yearly pride parade, is listed as a company-wide commitment to "the belief that everyone should have the same value, rights, and opportunities – no matter who you love or how you identify."

"This commitment is deeply integrated in the Massive culture," the studio wrote. It added, "We share the common belief that diverse and inclusive teams have the possibility to make better games. In our continued support of diversity and inclusivity, we are proud to once again walk with Massive pride in the Parade."

Another commitment from the company is raising climate awareness in the video-game industry. Massive Entertainment entered into a partnership with 40 Nordic gaming companies, agreeing to make "the climate issue" one of the industry’s top priorities.

Recently we arranged a Bazaar at the Studio to celebrate Pride, love and human rights \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\n\nOur creative co-workers sold handcrafted items, and in our pride shop one could buy Massive branded pride merch. Thanks to everyone who contributed \ud83c\udf08\n\n#AMassiveLife #Pride
— (@)

Fans have complained that the developers of the Disney-owned Star Wars game have gone out of their way to make their lead female protagonist less attractive.

Actress Humberly González plays the character Kay Vess and has received an outpouring of both sarcastic and sympathetic commentary from gamers about her portrayal.

"I would be very upset what they did to your attractiveness and downplay it. I would have a lawsuit for bastardizing your looks. You’re a beautiful woman," one fan wrote on the actress' Instagram post promoting the game.

"I will be honest...you are a beautiful woman. What they (UBISOFT) did to your model in the game is an absolute disgrace...they changed everything to fit their narrative. You [deserve] better than that," another fan decried.

Another comment asked, "What's your opinion about making your character model ugly? Do you feel insulted?"

Western activists trying not to destroy real-life femininity challenge impossible. The model from Star Wars Outlaws should sue lmao
— (@)

Needless to say, video game fans are growing fed up with DEI-laden gaming companies and their enforcement of progressive narratives.

Parent company Ubisoft hasn't helped its cause with its own statements related to its customers, either.

In January 2024, Philippe Tremblay, director of subscriptions at Ubisoft, spoke about the company's desire to push gamers toward a subscription-based model in which users do not own their own games.

"One of the things we saw is that gamers are used to, a little bit like DVD, having and owning their games. That's the consumer shift that needs to happen. They got comfortable not owning their CD collection or DVD collection. That's a transformation that's been a bit slower to happen [in games]," Tremblay explained.

The subscription executive rationalized his position by offering a surety that gaming progress would not be lost.

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