Nintendo Boss Breaks His Silence On Activision Blizzard's CEO
Another company has taken a stand against Activision Blizzard after continued reports of sexual harassment and misconduct within the company. Last week, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser sent an internal email to NoA employees that addressed the most recent Activision Blizzard reports, which revealed that CEO Bobby Kotick allegedly knew about the issues within his company and did not address them.
In the email obtained by Fanbyte, Bowser wrote, "Along with all of you, I've been following the latest developments with Activision Blizzard and the ongoing reports of sexual harassment and toxicity at the company," Bowser begins. "I find these accounts distressing and disturbing. They run counter to my values as well as Nintendo's beliefs, values, and policies."
Bowser continued to explain that Nintendo is committed to an open and inclusive workplace. He said that Nintendo holds itself to high standards and expects its business partners to do the same. Bowser said that Nintendo representatives have been "in contact with Activision, have taken action and are assessing others."
Although it's not entirely clear what actions Nintendo has already taken, Bowser also stated that he's working with the ESA to hold members within the video game industry to a higher standard. After publication, Nintendo of America confirmed to Fanbyte that the contents of the email were legitimate. Here's why Bowser's statements against Activision Blizzard are a big deal.
The big three of video games have taken a stand
With Bowser and Nintendo of America making a "public" statement against Activision Blizzard, all three console manufacturers have spoken out against the company. PlayStation boss Jim Ryan first sent an email to employees condemning Activision Blizzard, which was shortly followed by Phil Spencer of Xbox sending a similar email. Both of those emails contained sentiments very similar to Bowser's, with Spencer going so far as to say that his company would be "evaluating all aspects of [Xbox's] relationship with Activision Blizzard."
However, Nintendo finds itself in a slightly different position than both Xbox and PlayStation. Because Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Japan operate with some independence from each other, so the statement from Bowser does not necessarily speak for the entire company. On the other hand, Nintendo very rarely speaks out against other companies in such a way, so Bowser's words holds a decent amount of weight. Only time will tell how Activision Blizzard will react to these statements, and whether or not CEO Bobby Kotick will be forced to step down.