After iam8bit announced its limited special edition vinyl release of Diablo II’s soundtrack, the production company released a statement on the status of its working relationship with Activision Blizzard. In the statement, Iam8bit said the reports of Activision’s toxic workplace culture from last year left the company “distressed and horrified.”
At the time when reports initially came out and after, the Diablo II project was well underway. The news was a heavy topic at the company which led to serious conversations both internally and with the teams at Activision Blizzard. What ended up with that discussion was a goal to celebrate the development team’s hard work by turning it into “something tangible and […] meaningful.”
“Based on the extensive conversation we’ve had with ABK, we are optimistic about the trajectory of their workplace culture. These difficult conversations are the first step in a long process, and we plan to help hold ABK accountable to their promises and continually reevaluate our partnership based on their progress,” iam8bit said in a Twitter statement.
The company added that they stand with Activision Blizard employees’ fight for change. In addition, iam8bit is supporting ABetterABK‘s push for unionization “in order to put the power back into the hands of [the] workers.”
The Diablo II limited special edition release is a vinyl box set that will cost collectors $200 and iam8bit is only producing 1,500 copies. the iam8bit exclusive variant comes with a multicolored vinyl pressing that gives off a truly demonic look, bonus music, a special record adaptor for 45s, a cork and rubber record mat, a miniature scroll, and more.
