An Open Letter to Blizzard

Information may not be reliable

The Rough Trade Gaming Community stands unconditionally with the women and minorities at Blizzard, and across the entire tech industry, who have been the subject of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination.

The 2-year investigation and subsequent lawsuit by the State of California have shown just how normalized this repugnant behavior has become.

To the victims of this abuse, we emphatically say, "We hear you, we believe you, and we support you."

Blizzard's subsequent statement rings offensively hollow given the seriousness of the allegations. Their strident denials and deflection provide a glimpse of the pervasiveness of these attitudes, on all levels of the company, from the top down.

This behavior by Blizzard must stop immediately. No amount of training modules or slogans can repair the very real damage that has led to the destruction of careers, and in this case, the loss of life.

As a group representing thousands of customers, we demand accountability and change. Now is not the time to attack the lawsuit, or even to promise to "do better". Now is the time to openly and transparently take real, quantifiable, public action.

This is the only path that is morally right, and the only path that will regain our trust as customers.

Signed,
The Rough Trade Gaming Community

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