Destiny 2 studio Bungie promised that they will offer “zero-tolerance” when it comes to Activision allegations of harassment if investigations prove that they are true.
Over the past week, Activision allegations floated, pushing the state of California to sue the company. Sexual harassment was a central complaint, something that Bungie promises to offer zero-tolerance to.
Bungie pushes back against Activision “frat boy” culture
Up until last year, Bungie had a 10-year publishing deal with Activision that started in 2010. They terminated it early in 2019 and had no projects with them since. Regardless, they worked eight years with the company, so they felt they had to set tone.
We have a zero-tolerance policy at Bungie for environments that support this toxic culture, and we are committed to rooting them out to defend those who are at risk.
— Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021
Activision is currently in hot water due to a lawsuit from the state of California. The lawsuit alleges a “pervasive frat boy workplace culture” that includes “cube crawls”. These events usually led to sexual harassment of female employees.
During the workday, people at Activision, allegedly, play video games all day. Much of the responsibilities go to women instead, together with toxic and harassing language from the workplace environment.
Bungie are distancing away from these allegations as early as today.
“Bungie is built on empowering our people no matter who they are, where they are from, or how they identify,” said their statement on Twitter. “We have a responsibility to acknowledge, reflect, and do what we can to push back on a persistent culture of harassment, abuse, and inequality that exists in our industry.”
“It’s our responsibility to ensure this type of behavior is not tolerated at Bungie at any level, and that we never excuse it or sweep it under the rug. While the accounts in this week’s news are difficult to read, we hope they will lead to justice, awareness, and accountability.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy at Bungie for environments that support this toxic culture, and we are committed to rooting them out to defend those who are at risk.”
Bungie says they’re not pretending to be perfect
Bungie notes that they are not trying to speak from a high horse. They understand that they don’t have a perfect record, but they note that they won’t tolerate anything. Things similar to Activision allegations will undergo proper channels.
Our goal is to continue to improve the experience for everyone working at Bungie and do our part to make the gaming industry as a whole to be more welcoming and inclusive.
— Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021
“We don’t pretend that Bungie is perfect and that no one has experienced harassment while working here, but we will not tolerate it and will confront it head on. And we will continue to do the work every day to be better,” notes Bungie.
“Our goal is to continue to improve the experience for everyone working at Bungie and do our part to make the gaming industry as a whole to be more welcoming and inclusive.”
Outside Bungie, the Activision allegations are sparking expansive condemnation. Players are not only protesting but also noting the silence of the studio’s social media accounts.
Featured image courtesy of Bungie/Youtube Screenshot