Activision Blizzard’s Bobby Kotick Subpoenaed: Government Investigation

Activision Blizzard has been under fire since the sexual assault allegations have made their way to the surface. Fans everywhere have been chastising the company for how they have been handling the situation, and some have even gone as far as attempting to boycott or refuse to play their games. Now to add fuel to the fire, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched an investigation on the publishers handling of the harassment and abuse allegations. According to the Wall Street Journal, the SEC has officially subpoenaed the company along with high-ranking executives such as Bobby Kotick.

Credit: Wall Street Journal

Many fans believed that Activision Blizzard’s handling of the harassment allegations is not enough, despite recent statements of trying to remedy the situation. It was only this past July that the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed an official lawsuit. The investigation will ensure that Blizzard has handled the abuse of its staff correctly and that the correct information was disclosed to the investors.

Given that Activision Blizzard is one of the largest gaming publishers in the world, these lawsuits are not helping their numbers. The company has already dropped from 46 million players to 26 million since 2017. That is 29 percent of their entire player base in 3 years, and it seems many players are continuing to leave due to the ongoing lawsuit. Hopefully, this will be the wake-up call that they need when it comes to discrimination.