The Activision Blizzard harassment case wreaks havoc on LEGO’s business, which is delaying the Overwatch 2 set.
Gamers will know that for many months, Activision Blizzard has been in turmoil. The company is accused of promoting a toxic and sexist work environment, as well as sexual assault and harassment. Because of this, many employees have lodged a complaint, sometimes against big names in the industry, which particularly frightened investors and other giants in the field, such as Nintendo and Sony.
A break from business
Today, it is another partner of the firm who is thinking of withdrawing from the agreements made with it. It is about LEGO, which was to release this 1er February, a brand new set in the image of the future Overwatch 2 game. Called the LEGO Overwatch 2 Titan, it was to inaugurate the next release of the title on consoles and PC this year, and enrich an already well-filled collection of LEGO Overwatch sets. It was without counting a press release, undermining Blizzard’s business.
In this press release, LEGO explains wanting to pause the release of its set, the time to reassess the relationship between its brand and that of the studio. She explains :
” We are currently re-examining our partnership with Activision Blizzard, given concerns about the progress being made to address persistent allegations about workplace culture, particularly the treatment of female colleagues and the creation of a diverse and inclusive environment. “.
Activision-Blizzard gets bogged down in trouble
As a reminder, the LEGO set should have been available in a little over two weeks, and offer fans of the franchise to assemble the famous Titan, a huge robot that Tracer and Mei would have to face. The set consists of 900 pieces and figurines of the two characters. At the moment, this break does not mean that LEGO will abandon the project for good.
However, it is possible that the brand does indeed decide to cut ties with the studio, which does not seem to be taking strong enough measures against the accusations according to other players in the video game industry. Robert Kotick, CEO of Blizzard, for example, is still in office, even though he is also the target of a harassment complaint, unlike certain other employees who have left the company since the affair broke.
Until LEGO tells us more about it, the other stamped packs Overwatch remain available on the manufacturer’s website and on the websites of resellers.
Buy the Lego Overwatch Jackal set