Activision reaches settlement with regulator over employee treatment

Activision Blizzard has reached a settlement with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, one of the parties that sued the gamemaker over the culture of sexual harassment within the company. Activision pays out money to affected employees.

Under the terms of the settlement, Activision Blizzard is putting $18 million in a fund from which the company can pay employees who file claims against the company for damages caused by the treatment. The court still has to approve the settlement, the company said.

The money not used to pay for damages suffered by employees will go to charities that represent workplace equality and women’s rights, the company said.

The case against EEOC is just one of the cases pending against Activision Blizzard. In July, a lawsuit was filed by the state of California. According to that indictment, there is a broad culture of sexually transgressive behavior and sexual harassment within the company, according to the prosecutors. After that indictment came out, the director already left. The SEC has also sued the game maker for the treatment of female employees. Blizzard has been accused of a sick work culture for years, for example when it paid women in 2019 to track their pregnancy and fertility with an app.