Company meets 2022 commitments and announces 2023 commitments to continue championing its people, recruiting and developing diverse talent, welcoming players of all backgrounds, and protecting the planet
Activision Blizzard today released its third Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report for 2022. The 2022 Report represents the company’s continued commitment to operate transparently, responsibly, and ethically. It details how Activision Blizzard is championing its people, advancing more diverse and inclusive communities, and protecting the planet. You can access the full report on the company’s website and a summary of the report below.
“Over the last year across Activision Blizzard, we stepped up our ESG efforts. We take the responsibility of connecting and engaging with hundreds of millions of people through epic entertainment seriously. Gaming is a cultural force, and for gaming to have the biggest impact, we must attract and retain a highly talented and diverse workforce and build a welcoming and inclusive workplace,” said Brian Bulatao, Chief Administrative Officer of Activision Blizzard and Chair of the company’s ESG Steering Committee. “We are deeply proud of the progress we’ve made on our 2022 ESG initiatives, and we are committed to continuous improvement in each of our key pillars.”
2022 Results:
Championing Our People
Over the last year, Activision Blizzard has made meaningful progress toward its 2021 goal to increase the combined percentage of women and non-binary employees in its workforce by 50% over five years and use its $250 million fund to accelerate opportunities for diverse talent within gaming and technology. The 2022 highlights include:
- All business units saw an increase in the combined representation of women and non-binary employees. As of November 30, 2022, approximately 26% of our global employee population self-reported as women or non-binary people, up from approximately 24% as of November 30, 2021.
- Women in game development leadership roles more than quadrupled since 2016. The company grew game development teams by 25% in 2022.
- Globally, employees who self-reported as women or non-binary people, or who self-reported as something else earned on average $1.00 for every $1.00 earned by men for comparable work.
- The company expanded benefits to include unlimited virtual counseling sessions through BetterHelp, increased adoption benefit to $20,000 from $5,000, and more.
Advancing Diverse and Inclusive Communities
Diversity and inclusion are foundational to the company’s games, policies, and workforce commitments. In 2022 the company made strong progress as it:
- Hired its first Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Kristen Hines.
- Appointed its first Head of Inclusive Game Design, Adrian Ledda, who helped develop a consistent approach to embedding inclusive game design into content pipeline reviews.
- Initiated a partnership with Reboot Representation to help increase the number of Black, Latina, and Native American women in technology through a $2 million grant funded by the company.
- Funded the placement of nearly 16,000 veterans into high-quality jobs through the Call of Duty Endowment in 2022. With over 113,000 veterans placed between 2009-2022, total veteran job placements is now over 118,000.
Protecting the Planet
Activision Blizzard is committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To achieve this goal, the company has developed a decarbonization roadmap and has created a detailed operating plan to reduce carbon intensity, water usage, and waste. The 2022 highlights include:
- Estimated greenhouse gas emissions remained relatively stable in 2022, despite increased post-pandemic business travel and other factors, and the company is driving a number of proactive decarbonization efforts that have begun to yield positive results.
- The company continued to prioritize environmental efficiencies across data centers and workplaces – 61% of data center and workplace energy came from purchased renewable energy, up from less than 1% in 2021.
- Workplace emission reductions were driven by the company’s largest campus joining the City of Irvine’s Community Choice Aggregation program, which now allows it to use 100% renewable energy.
In the ESG report, Activision Blizzard also details its 2023 goals and commitments such as publishing employee promotion rates by gender globally and by race and ethnicity in the US; launching a local studio ambassador program to increase opportunities for DE&I work in game teams and gaming experiences; and beginning to address carbon emissions generated through our workplaces, performance marketing activities, travel practices, game development, and public cloud utilization.
Through the release of its annual ESG Report, the company continues to transparently share its efforts to advocate for its people, invest in building diverse communities, and prioritize sustainable business practices. Access the report on the company’s ESG website here and read a note from Brian Bulatao, Chief Administrative Officer of Activision Blizzard and Chair of the company’s ESG Steering Committee on the company’s blog here.
About Activision Blizzard
Our mission to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment has never been more important. Through communities rooted in our video games, we enable hundreds of millions of people to experience joy, thrill, and achievement. We enable social connections through the lens of fun, and we foster purpose and a sense of accomplishment through healthy competition. Like sport, but with greater accessibility, our players can find purpose and meaning through competitive gaming. Video games, unlike any other social or entertainment media, have the ability to break down the barriers that can inhibit tolerance and understanding. Celebrating differences is at the core of our culture and ensures we can create games for players of diverse backgrounds in the 190 countries our games are played.
As a member of the Fortune 500 and as a component company of the S&P 500, we have an extraordinary track record of delivering superior shareholder returns for over 30 years. Our sustained success has enabled the company to support corporate social responsibility initiatives that are directly tied to our games. As an example, our Call of Duty Endowment has helped find employment for over 100,000 veterans.
Learn more information about Activision Blizzard and how we connect and engage the world through epic entertainment on the company’s website, www.activisionblizzard.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,” “believes,” “potential,” “proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,” “will,” “should” or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from the Company’s current expectations. These and other risks are described in the Company’s periodic reports, including the annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. Any forward-looking statements that the Company makes in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
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