[GameSpot] - Bungie Publishes Statement Against "Harassment, Abuse, And Inequality" In Games Industry

[343iBot]

Destiny developer Bungie has taken to Twitter to speak out against what it calls "a persistent culture of harassment, abuse, and inequality that exists in our industry." The statement, a thread on Twitter of six different posts, comes days after a lawsuit was filed against Activision Blizzard by the state of California for its "frat boy" culture.

Bungie's statement is a clear message against any kind of discrimination in the games industry, saying, "While the accounts in this week's news are difficult to read, we hope they will lead to justice, awareness, and accountability."

Bungie is built on empowering our people no matter who they are, where they are from, or how they identify.
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.

— Bungie (@Bungie) July 22, 2021

The developer also spoke on its own efforts to quash any toxic behavior that may take place in its own offices. "It's our responsibility to ensure this type of behavior is not tolerated at Bungie at any level," reads the statement. "And that we never excuse it or sweep it under the rug."

Bungie worked with Blizzard Activision until 2019 developing both Destiny titles while under the publisher. The two companies split, with Bungie retaining the rights to Destiny.

The lawsuit against Activision Blizzard alleges that the company perpetrated a systematic "frat boy" culture that manifested in equal pay violations, sex discrimination, and sexual harassment. According to the lawsuit, African American women and other people of color were disproportionately impacted by these practices.

Activision Blizzard's response to the lawsuit included a swift denunciation of the body that issued it, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing. "While we find this behavior to be disgraceful and unprofessional, it is unfortunately an example of how they [the DFEH] have conducted themselves throughout the course of their investigation," reads the statement. "It is this type of irresponsible behavior from unaccountable State bureaucrats that are driving many of the State’s best businesses out of California."

Abuse in the games industry is commonplace, but it has begun to garner more attention in recent years. Ubisoft, the massive french publisher behind numerous popular franchises, including Far Cry and Rainbow Six, faced a swarm of abuse and harassment allegations just last year. Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot recently shared the multiple ways the company has changed in response to a report claiming it had taken no extra efforts to prevent abuse.

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