Activision employees walk off the job seeking abortion, LGBTQ support

Enlarge / Some of the reported 450 employees that walked off the job at Activision Blizzard Thursday. (credit: CWA / Twitter)

Hundreds of Activision Blizzard employees walked off the job on Thursday in an effort to get company support for employees living in "locations which are passing anti-abortion, anti lgbtq+, or any other discriminatory legislation," a note from the group said.

Participants in the "Walkout to End Gender Inequity" were demanding that Activision Blizzard provide assistance to employees who want to avoid such legislation by moving to and working from "safe states," organizers said. That would mean the company allowing fully remote work for nearly all employees and paying for relocation costs and cost-of-living adjustments for employees who move to such "safe states," among other changes.

The walkout—which had been publicly planned for weeks and was supported by a donation-based strike fund—was joined by 450 employees, according to a Washington Post report. Participants came from multiple Activision Blizzard offices, including the Irvine, California, headquarters of Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Publishing offices in Austin, Texas, among others.