Geoff Keighly States That Activision Blizzard “Will Not Be A Part” Of The Game Awards

Aside from Two Nominations for Call of Duty, of course. Probably for their fish tech.

According to Geoff Keighley, Doritos Pope and central figure for The Game Awards, Activision Blizzard will not be taking part in the show this year. Well, aside from the two nominations they have for whatever Call of Duty game is relevant this year. Don’t look at me like that, it’s military shooter Madden, I don’t keep track of it.

He let everyone know this over on Twitter:

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

#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

I also realize we have a big platform which can accelerate and inspire change. We are committed to that, but we all need to work together to build a better and a more inclusive environment so everyone feels safe to build the world’s best games.
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) December 4, 2021

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 was backed up by an interview with the Washington Post from a few days before this statement. When asked about Activision Blizzard, he responded:

“We want to support employees and developers,” said Keighley, who added he supported people coming forward with their stories but also didn’t want to diminish developers’ opportunities to spotlight their games. “We have to think very carefully about how to proceed here.”

Unfortunately, this is the Internet. And a considerable number of people commenting on that thread are of the opinion that that’s not quite good enough. Just a taste:

READ: BlizzCon "Paused" So Event Can Be Reimagined As More "Welcoming And Inclusive"

Then remove Rob Kostich from your advisory board, and publicly denounce Activision Blizzard's actions on the show itself.

Words mean nothing without action Geoff pic.twitter.com/cIn5TJ5plt
— Cheepdude | Free 🇵🇸 (@Cheepdude) December 4, 2021

"There's no place for abuse"
But apparently there's a place for it's practitioners and enablers on the advisory board, cool. pic.twitter.com/IuiY1Dg0HI
— Michel0dy (@michel0dy) December 4, 2021

So what you're saying is Riot Games and Ubisoft won't be there too?
— Denis (@siziyman) December 4, 2021

Geoff, I think what you're doing with TGA is great, but you have to understand why this isn't good enough. This is the biggest abuse story of our industry's time and you are yet to speak up for your peers. Are you a beacon for devs and gamers, or a hollow industry PR mouthpiece?
— Ryan T. Brown 🔜 WASD (@Toadsanime) December 4, 2021

Activision Blizzard is currently in hot water, to say the least. But I guess they figured they may as well turn it up a few degrees, because they apparently screwed over a bunch of QA staff from Raven.

I am gutted right now. My friends in QA at Raven were promised, for months, that Activision was working towards a pay restructure to increase their wages.

Today, one by one, valuable members of the team were called into meetings and told they were being let go.
— Austin (Looking for Community Manager Positions) (@eyyohbee) December 3, 2021

What a wonderful company.

Source: PC Gamer

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B. Simmons

Based out of Glendale California, Bryan is a GAMbIT’s resident gaming contributor. Specializing in PC and portable gaming, you can find Bryan on his 3DS playing Monster Hunter or at one of the various conventions throughout the state.

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B. Simmons

Based out of Glendale California, Bryan is a GAMbIT's resident gaming contributor. Specializing in PC and portable gaming, you can find Bryan on his 3DS playing Monster Hunter or at one of the various conventions throughout the state.

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