Blizzard Co-Founder and ex-CEO Mike Morhaime took to TwitLonger to issue an apology to the mistreated women of Blizzard. He wrote, “The fact that so many women were mistreated and were not supported means we let them down.”
Mike Morhaime continued with the following:
Harassment and discrimination exist. They are prevalent in our industry. It is the responsibility of leadership to keep all employees feeling safe, supported, and treated equitably, regardless of gender and background. It is the responsibility of leadership to stamp out toxicity and harassment in any form across all levels of the company. To the Blizzard women who experienced any of these things, I am extremely sorry that I failed you.”
Mike Morhaime completed his apology by saying:
I realize that these are just words, but I wanted to acknowledge the women who had awful experiences. I hear you, I believe you, and I am so sorry to have let you down. I want to hear your stories, if you are willing to share them. As a leader in our industry, I can and will use my influence to help drive positive change and to combat misogyny, discrimination, and harassment wherever I can. I believe we can do better, and I believe the gaming industry can be a place where women and minorities are welcomed, included, supported, recognized, rewarded, and ultimately unimpeded from the opportunity to make the types of contributions that all of us join this industry to make. I want the mark I leave on this industry to be something that we can all be proud of.”
You can see Mike Morhaime’s full apology here. Morhaime hasn’t been the only one to speak up about the accusations; employees across Blizzard have spoken out in support of their female peers and in hopes of changing hostile work environments.
What are your thoughts on Mike Morhaime’s apology and the reports coming from Blizzard? In the comments below, let us know, and keep coming back to The Nerd Stash for all of your nerdy news and needs!