Activision employee files lawsuit claiming age, race discrimination

Activision employee lawsuit overview:

• Who: Plaintiff James Reid Venable filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard.
• Why: The former executive says he was subjected to Activision discrimination against “old white guys” when he was suddenly terminated last year.
• Where: The Activision lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

A former Activision Blizzard executive filed a lawsuit alleging he was a victim of retaliation and age discrimination when the company suddenly terminated him last year, Law360 reports.

Plaintiff James Reid Venable, 57, claims he was terminated because of the gaming company’s push to “get rid of ‘old white guys,’” even though he says he played an important role in the development of Call of Duty and was recognized as “a successful and highly regarded people manager, team builder and talent developer of Activision employees.”

Venable notes that Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotrick announced at a leadership conference that the company’s “problem” is that “there are too many old white guys.” Not long after Kotrick’s announcement, Venable says two white executives in their 50s left the company. One of the executives was Venable’s boss, who recommended Venable be promoted.

Instead of promoting Venable, the former executive claims Activision promoted a younger, less qualified and less experienced non-white employee. Venable says this promotion was based on Kotrick’s call to “get rid of ‘old white guys’” within the company.

Activision lawsuit says restructuring initiative was based on false pretenses

Venable says Activision laid him off on Aug. 21, 2023, because of a restructuring initiative that he claims was based on an “age-based effort to cut costs and to rejuvenate the workforce.” All seven employees who were laid off, including Venable, were men between the ages of 47 and 64, the Activision lawsuit says.

“Activision placed profits over people by terminating the older, higher paid executive,” the Activision discrimination lawsuit alleges.

Venable claims Activision’s purported reasons for restructuring are false and points to a number of job postings to show that the company is actively hiring and expanding.

The Activision employee lawsuit asserts claims for retaliation, age discrimination, wrongful termination and failure to take all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination in violation of California law.

Activision is a gaming giant that has created massively popular games including Diablo, Candy Crush and World of Warcraft. The company has recently faced a slew of litigation over claims it fosters a toxic work environment.

Activision recently reached a $54 million Activision discrimination settlement over allegations it did not treat female employees fairly.

What do you think about the Activision discrimination allegations? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

Venable is represented by Patricio T.D. Barrera of Barrera & Associates APC.

The Activision discrimination lawsuit is James Reid Venable v. Activision Blizzard Inc., et al., Case No. 24STCV00083, in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles.

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