Geoff Keighley, the creator, and host of The Game Awards confirmed that Activision Blizzard won’t have a part in The Game Awards further than its nominations.
In a tweet thread, Keighley said this year Activision Blizzard won’t be a part of the Game Awards ceremony. After Activision was sued for sexual harassment and unequal pay, other members of the video game industry questioned Keighley’s decision. In an interview with Washington Post, Keighley said “We have to think very carefully about how to proceed here.”
“Beyond its nominations, I can confirm that Activision|Blizzard will not be a part of this year’s #TheGameAwards,” Keighley tweeted. He continued saying that the event “is a time of celebration for this industry, the biggest form of entertainment in the world. There is no place for abuse, harassment, or predatory practices in any company or any community.”
Beyond its nominations, I can confirm that Activision|Blizzard will not be a part of this year’s #TheGameAwards
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 4, 2021
Keighley mentioned that Game Awards is a great platform to “accelerate and inspire change.” Game Awards’ nominations related to Activision Blizzard will stand still but members of this company will not be a part of the ceremony.
Wall Street Journal reported last month that Activision’s CEO, Bobby Kotick was aware of sexual harassment in the workplace and yet decided to do nothing. Activision|Blizzard is facing multiple regulatory investigations over sexual assaults and harassment.
The Game Awards is the annual awards ceremony created by Geoff Keighley that celebrates the video game industry. The nominations for this year’s ceremony were announced last month. Apart from giving awards, many video games will be announced and shown during the awards. Lately, it was said that Ashley Johnson, the voice actress of Ellie in The Last of Us series, will be one of the many hosts this year.
Mandalorian’s Giancarlo Esposito and Ming-Na Wen will also attend The Game Awards alongside Matrix 4 stars, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. Laura Bailey and Nintendo’s former boss, Reggie Fils-Aime will be the other special guests. It is also confirmed that American pop band, Imagine Dragons will have a performance alongside Sting.
The Game Awards 2021 will be held on December 10, 7:30 pm EST.
