ActivActivist Blizzard fires nearly 40 employees over harassment allegations

The video game giant Activision Blizzard has fired nearly 40 employees and disciplined more than 40 others since July as it deals with allegations of sexual harassment and other misconduct.

Over the past seven months the company has received about 700 reports of employee concerns over sexual assault or harassment or other misconduct, in some cases separate reports about the same incident, The Wall Street Journal reported.

A summary of the personnel action that the maker of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and other blockbuster games has taken was scheduled to be released before the winter holidays, the Journal said.

The paper said that CEO Bobby Kotick had delayed the release, saying that it would make the company's workplace problems look even bigger than they were, and that it would make the company's workplace problems look even bigger than they were known to be.

Activision denied the allegation that Kotick held up the report, in a statement prompted by the Journal story.

The statement said that the company is committed to providing periodic updates on its progress, and an interim update to our employees is still being worked on.

It said the company has completed reviews of 90 percent of the complaints it received since July - it did not say how many there were - and that 37 employees have left the company and another 44 have received written reprimands, formal warnings or other discipline. In July, California state regulators accused the company of condoning a culture of harassment, a toxic work environment, and inequality.

In September, the Securities and Exchange Commission launched a probe into the company's disclosures regarding employment matters and related issues. Two months later, the Journal reported that Kotick, accused of mishandling the harassment complaints, had signaled he would consider stepping down if he didn't fix the company culture. He has led the company for more than three decades.

Nearly 20 percent of Activision Blizzard's 9,500 employees have signed a petition calling for Kotick to resign.

The Journal said that the company is under pressure from shareholders and business partners for more accountability over its handling of misconduct issues.

Over the next five years, Chief Operating Officer Daniel Alegre pledged to increase female and non-binary staff by 50 percent, so that they will account for more than a third of Activision's workers.