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Activision Blizzard Fires Game Designer for Writing Jokes About Corporate Greed
Activision Blizzard, one of the world’s largest video game companies, fired a game designer for writing jokes that poked fun at corporate greed in a popular game called World of Warcraft. Eric Covington, a nine-year veteran of the company, was sacked after writing lines for Venture Co. loot goblin character in World of Warcraft. The company terminated Covington only after the lines were approved and put into the game.
Covington’s Claims About His Termination
Covington said that he was fired after “lampooning generic corporate greed” and writing a few tongue-in-cheek lines for a character in World of Warcraft. According to termination documents obtained by Gizmodo, the company fired Covington “as a result of your misconduct and harm to the Company by inserting inappropriate non-game related content into a game, which is also a violation of the Company’s Code of Conduct.” Covington claims that his lines passed through the approval process and made it all the way to the marketing stage without complaint. He also pointed out that the game publisher kept the social media promotions for the WoW loot goblin up during his termination process and shortly afterward.
The Treasure Goblin Character
The treasure goblin character has been a part of WoW since 2017, introduced during the Diablo 20th anniversary world event. According to Covington, other zingers included “No profit sharing!,” “Looks like another yacht for me!,” and “Time to go back to the office!”. The last line is relevant to many companies in the post-pandemic world, including Activision Blizzard, which is forcing employees back to the office at least three days a week.
Activision Blizzard’s Troubles
Activision Blizzard has been facing a lot of criticism regarding its work environment after allegations of sexual harassment came to light. The company settled a $35 million lawsuit over those claims of workplace harassment earlier this year. Not only that, but Activision Blizzard is also in the midst of an anticipated $68.7 billion buyout by Microsoft. While the deal was approved by the EU, Activision is trying to appeal the UK’s decision to block the deal from going forward.
FAQs
How long was Eric Covington working with Activision Blizzard?
Eric Covington was a nine-year veteran of Activision Blizzard.
What did Eric Covington do to get fired?
Eric Covington was fired for writing jokes that poked fun at corporate greed in a game called World of Warcraft.
What did the tweets promoting Covington’s dialogue contain?
The tweets promoting Covington’s dialogue included lines like “Let’s call this a cost of living adjustment” and “No profit sharing!”
What was the treasure goblin character introduced in?
The treasure goblin character was introduced during the Diablo 20th anniversary world event and has been part of World of Warcraft since 2017.
What are Activision Blizzard’s current troubles?
The company is trying to improve its work environment after allegations of sexual harassment came to light. It settled a $35 million lawsuit earlier this year. Additionally, Activision Blizzard is trying to navigate a $68.7 billion buyout by Microsoft that is being opposed by some regulators.
Conclusion
Activision Blizzard fired a game designer for writing jokes that poked fun at corporate greed in a game called World of Warcraft. The designer, Eric Covington, was a nine-year veteran of the company. According to Covington, his lines passed through the approval process and made it all the way to the marketing stage without complaint. This incident happened when Activision Blizzard was already dealing with allegations of sexual harassment and facing a $68.7 billion buyout by Microsoft that is being opposed by some regulators.
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