‘Activision Blizzard Will Not Play A Part In The Game Awards 2021, Outside Nominations’, Says Geoff Keighley
Geoff Keighley has confirmed on that the video games publishing giant Activision Blizzard, will not be playing any part in The Game Awards 2021, outside of the nominations.
#TheGameAwards 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.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 4, 2021
Opening up on Twitter, in a series of tweets, The Game Awards’ host and executive producer, Geoff Keighley stated that the ceremony “is a time of celebration for this industry” and that “there is no place for abuse, harassment or predatory practices in any company or any community”.
All of us are accountable to this standard.
Incredible games — and the talented developers who build them — are who we want to celebrate.
See you on Thursday.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 4, 2021
This comes in the light of the rising displeasure of the gaming community with Activision Blizzard. It all came to light when the State of California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing filed a lawsuit about the ‘frat house’ like work culture at the company and alleging rampant sexism and discrimination at work against the company’s female employees, both former as well as present, at work.
Following the lawsuit, several shocking details about the same emerged. The latest being a report in The Wall Street Journal, about CEO Bobby Kotick ignoring allegations of sexual misconduct within the workplace, for years. The gaming community, including developers, artists as well as gamers, stand united in their support for the Activision Blizzard employees and in their demand for a quick resignation of longstanding CEO, Bobby Kotick.
Following the emergence of these shocking details, the company has faced severe backlash. The Game Awards host and executive producer, Geoff Keighley, in an interview with the Washington Post, noted that he was ‘contemplating’ on the best way to handle the situation without affecting the developers and the employees of the company.
However, Geoff Keighley’s neutral reaction to the allegations that Activision Blizzard is currently facing received much backlash from the gaming community. And hours after this interview with Washington Post, Keighley announced on Twitter that the company will not be playing any part in this year’s event, outside of the nominations.
Geoff Keighley Changes Stance On Activison Blizzard’s Involvement In The Game Awards, Following Backlash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyPO0P0dKeU
The Game Awards 2021 will be streamed live from the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, on December 9, 2021. Unlike last year, this year the event will be in person. However, the attendees would be invite only. The event will be streamed live from the official Twitch and YouTube channels. In addition to that, there will also be direct feeds on the social media sites, such as on TikTok, Twitter and even Facebook. Through Oculus Venues, Oculus will be showing a 180 degree VR experience On the other hand, Steam will be showing the event, in addition to its Game Awards Festival and offer select demos on some of the upcoming games.
The Game Awards is an annual event held to honor and recognize all the contributions that are made, all around year, in the video gaming industry. First held in the year, 2014, the yearly event witnesses some of the best in the world of gaming being recognized and honoured, in a ceremony that could very well be termed as the Oscars for the industry. Read more about the event, here.
We post the latest updates and insights from the world of gaming. For the latest news, updates, rumours and insights from the video games industry, upcoming games, new releases, game recommendations and much more, do keep an eye out on our space!
Source: Twitter
