Activision Blizzard to pay $54 million to settle California state workplace discrimination claims

By ALEX VEIGA
AP Business Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay about $54 million to settle discrimination claims brought by California’s civil rights agency on behalf of women employed by the video game maker. The California Civil Rights Department announced Friday that the settlement resolves allegations that the maker of Call of Duty, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and other video games “discriminated against women at the company, including denying promotion opportunities and paying them less than men for doing substantially similar work.” Allegations of workplace discrimination helped drag down Activision’s stock price in 2021. That paved the way for Microsoft to buy the company.