Respawn lead backs boycott of games like WoW & Overwatch during Blizzard walkout

Respawn Entertainment lead game designer Daniel Z. Klein has urged players to stand in “solidarity” with the Blizzard walkout on Wednesday, July 28, by not playing titles like Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and more.

Amid the fallout from the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) lawsuit against Activision Blizzard over an alleged history of sexual harassment and discrimination, workers are preparing a one-day strike with a list of demands for the company.

It’s now expected for a large number of employees to physically walk out of Blizzard HQ starting at 10 am PST, with virtual walkouts scheduled from 9 am PST.

In the midst of that, the Apex Legends design lead shared a message for people who play Blizzard games, asking them to put down any titles by the developer in support of the larger strike going on.

Apex Legends dev backs Blizzard walkout

“There’s a walkout at Blizzard tomorrow,” Klein said in a tweet. “If you play any Blizzard games, consider not playing them tomorrow.

 

“It’s a strike; playing their games during the strike is tantamount to crossing a picket line. Let’s stand in solidarity with the workers at Blizzard.”

On Twitch, only two Activision Blizzard titles usually make it to the top 20 categories being watched, and those are World of Warcraft and Call of Duty: Warzone. For these, PC players need to register with Blizz’s Battle.net services. Other popular Blizzard titles include Overwatch, Hearthstone, Diablo, and Starcraft.

• Read more: WoW & Diablo composer slams Activision Blizzard amid lawsuit controversy

Klein is a big voice in the Apex community and urged gamers to show unity around the alleged issues highlighted in the lawsuit.

#ActiBlizzWalkout trending

Strike organizers are also rallying non-Activision Blizzard employees on social media with #ActiBlizzWalkout and a blue-heart emoji to show support.

They also suggested a number of charities for people to donate to in support of the walkout, including Black Girls Code, Futures without Violence, Girls Who Code, RAINN, Women in Animation, and Women in Games International.

 

This comes on the heels of an 8-point decline in Activision Blizzard stocks over the past couple of days, following the burgeoning dialogue that stemmed from the DFEH’s lawsuit.

• Read more: Ex-Blizzard employee exposes unfair treatment in viral TikTok amid lawsuit controversy

While the walkout will only happen at Blizzard HQ, more voices from the games community are joining in to encourage a safer and accountable space for all workers.