Six State Treasurers Are Pressuring Activision Blizzard To Make Meaningful Change

Six state treasurers have called upon Activision Blizzard to make meaningful change after numerous reports of sexual harassment, discrimination, and other workplace issues. As reported by Axios, treasurers from California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Oregon, Delaware, and Nevada have sent a letter asking the Activision Blizzard board of directors for a meeting.

The treasurers want to discuss Activision Blizzard's response to the lawsuits and reports, in addition to the investment risk these issues pose. The treasurers also said they would consider a call to vote against the re-election of current board members.

"We're concerned that the current CEO and board directors don't have the skillset, nor the conviction to institute these sweeping changes needed to transform their culture, to restore trust with employees and shareholders and their partners," Illinois state treasurer Michael Frerichs told Axios.

GameSpot has reached out to Activision Blizzard for comment.

The state treasurers are in charge of investing large amounts of money for the states, but it is currently unknown how much Activision Blizzard stock the states own, which directly relates to how much influence they have over the company. Frerichs said that this puts a bigger public spotlight and more pressure on Activision Blizzard, regardless of the amount of stock the states hold.

The treasurers have asked for a meeting with the board of directors by December 20. This comes after the heads of PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo of America all responded to a report that Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick hid knowledge of misconduct.

For more, check out the full timeline of events involving Activision Blizzard and the California lawsuit it's facing.