With the industry still reeling from the revelations of yesterday’s damning Wall Street Journal report, it’s perhaps unsurprising that other notable figures have begun to weigh in on the allegations of discrimination and harassment leveled against Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick. The most recent to do so is Sony’s PlayStation chief Jim Ryan, who expressed his disappointment with Activision Blizzard’s handling of the situation in an internal email.
In the email, sent round to PlayStation employees today and reviewed by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, Ryan wrote that he and the other higher-ups at Sony were “disheartened” at Activision Blizzard’s response, which included the board of directors giving Kotick a vote of confidence yesterday. He went on to say that they felt the company “[had] not done enough to address a deep-seated culture of discrimination and harassment.” Ryan also stated in the email that he and his colleagues had reached out to Activision Blizzard shortly after the publication of the article to express their concern and find out what the company’s plans were to address the issues.
As a company with such a close relationship with Activision, this response from the PlayStation leadership could have a significant impact on how the company addresses the Bobby Kotick question going forward. With a walkout of over 150 employees yesterday and a group of shareholders calling for Kotick’s resignation, the Activision Blizzard CEO is undeniably on razor-thin ice.
