Russell Brower, long time composer and music director at Activision Blizzard slammed the company on Twitter, following the ongoing lawsuit filed by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing,
Brower recently updated their Twitter profile in an effort to call out Blizzard following several allegations of a "frat boy" workplace where women were subjected to frequent sexual harassment and discrimination. Brower's new Twitter header image features Blizzard's logo under a "Universal No" sign. Beyond that, Brower also updated his Twitter bio to include, "Wish I could get those 12 years of my life back."
Brower is most notable for his work on several hyper-successful Blizzard games. These titles include Hearthstone, Diablo III, Diablo III: Reaper of Souls and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Brower also provided music scores for several World of Warcraft expansions, including Mists of Pandaria, Warlords of Draenor, Legion and Wrath of the Lich King.
Brower announced in 2017 that his position as Senior Audio Director/Composer at Blizzard was terminated. He suggested that he may return to work on future projects as a freelance composer, but given the sentiments expressed on his Twitter page, that seems unlikely.
Many Activision Blizzard employees, both past and present, are currently protesting the company following a lawsuit filed by the DFEH. The suit states that a two-year investigation determined that Activision Blizzard actively discriminates against female employees. Beyond that, female employees are subjected to rampant sexual harassment.
According to the DFEH, female employees at Activision Blizzard are paid less for doing an equal amount of work than their male counterparts. They are also passed over for deserved promotions and are consistently offered lower opportunity positions and projects. Beyond that, female employees are often subjected to inappropriate jokes alongside unwanted sexual comments and advances.
Blizzard President J. Allen Brack addressed the lawsuit and allegations in an internal email. He stated, "I personally have a lot of emotions... and I know you do, too. The allegations and the hurt of current and former employees are extremely troubling." In a description of events, the lawsuit states that "Numerous complaints about unlawful harassment, discrimination, and retaliation were made to Defendants' human resources personnel and executives, including to Blizzard Entertainment's President J. Allen Brack. But Defendants failed to take effective remedial measures in response to these complaints."
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick also responded to the allegations, writing, "This has been a difficult and upsetting week. I want to recognize and thank all those who have come forward in the past and in recent days. I so appreciate your courage. Every voice matters - and we will do a better job of listening now, and in the future."
Following the construction of an open letter to Activision Blizzard, signed by 2,600 current and former employees, a mass walk out was organized to protest the company's response. In a statement, the workers said that their "values as employees are not being accurately reflected in the words and actions of our leadership." The protest organizers are campaigning to "improve conditions for employees at the company, especially women, and in particular women of color and transgender women, nonbinary people, and other marginalized groups.”
Source: Twitter
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