California Accuses Activision Blizzard Of Shredding Abuse Evidence

The state of California recently expanded its discrimination lawsuit against Activision Blizzard, Axios reports. In addition to suing the massive gaming conglomerate over its culture of harassment and abuse toward female employees, the Department of Fair Employment and Housing is now also looking into its treatment of temporary workers.

The updated lawsuit alleges that Activision Blizzard has not been cooperative with California’s investigation. It cites Activision Blizzard’s non-disclosure agreements, the requirement that employees must speak with the company before contacting the state department, and the hiring of union-busting law firm WilmerHale as examples of the company’s lack of cooperation.

Read More: Everything That Has Happened Since The Activision Blizzard Lawsuit Was Filed

Activision Blizzard is also accused of having human resources personnel destroy documents pertinent to California’s inquiry, which it’s required by law to keep and make available to investigators.

The expansion of the lawsuit’s scope comes two weeks after news broke about the terrible working conditions in Activision Blizzard’s various quality assurance offices, many of which hire contract workers rather than salaried employees to avoid paying out benefits. And while poor pay, long hours, and lack of job security are bad enough, some sources also spoke of discriminatory attitudes toward trans workers.

“The legacy of Blizzard is all about, ‘You’re working for Blizzard, aren’t you lucky?’” one anonymous tester told Kotaku. “But the reality is that we are constantly dealing with difficult people, in a culture that cares little for mental health and expects the same kind of ‘smile-all-the-time’ as retail does. The only way for this to truly change is to change the culture and the attitude of the people in charge.”

Activision Blizzard, which develops and publishes a slate of high-profile games including Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch, has been a lightning rod for criticism following the state of California’s original July 20 lawsuit coming to light. Since then, employees staged a massive walkout, a second lawsuit was filed, and several notable figures have departed the company for their alleged roles in fomenting the abuse or allowing it to continue.

But hey, a new Call of Duty is coming out, so I guess it’s not all bad. Activision’s even done everyone a favor by obscuring the fact it’s involved in the game’s development. What a company!