Activision-Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick has given each of the company’s employees his phone number to assist with coronavirus-related issues. The CEO appeared on CNBC recently to speak about some of the measures Activision-Blizzard has taken during the pandemic to ensure the health and safety of its employees, from Activision instituting work from home policies to assisting with healthcare needs.
In the interview, Kotick claimed that “a few hundred” of Activision’s employees had reached out to him thus far, after sending an e-mail to employees containing his phone number and telling them to reach out directly if they needed assistance. “We’re fortunate,” Kotick states during the interview, “very few have actually tested positive, so far, for COVID-19.“Activision dropped out of the Game Developer Conferenceearly on as coronavirus cases rose, making it one of the first major companies to do so, and emphasizing how seriously the company has taken the issue.
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Last year, reports broke thatmorale at Activision-Blizzard was low,with employees leaving the company after an intense round of layoffs hurt the culture of Blizzard, in particular. Things had seemed to return to relative normality, though coronavirus, obviously, has led to a great deal of change for companies all over the world, Activision-Blizzard included.
Activision received sharp criticism following themajor round of layoffs, which happened despite Activision claiming record-high financial numbers in an earnings call around the same time. While Activision, and by extension Kotick, has had an admirable response to the coronavirus situation, many may have trouble forgetting those layoffs.
Coronavirus has had an odd impact on the games industry as a whole. While developers have had to cancel appearances at shows like GDC and E3, while at the same time implementing work from home measures, games have grown in popularity. Additionally, theWorld Health Organization asked people to stay home and play games, even after its declaration of video game addiction as a mental health disorder.
Regardless, seeing companies come together for the sake of their employees is, ultimately, good to see. Coronavirus' impact on the games industry will likely have many more far-reaching consequences than people realize, and it will be interesting to witness the fallout of that.
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