TGO Daily | Tuesday, September 21, 2021 | SEC Investigates ActiBlizz
TGO Daily | Tuesday, September 21, 2021
📰In The News
Activision Blizzard Investigated by SEC
Source: Wall Street Journal
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have launched an investigation into Activision Blizzard, regarding how the publisher handled allegations of sexual harassment and a toxic work culture. The SEC has subpoenaed CEO Bobby Kotick, and required the company to hand over a number of documents.
The allegations became a spotlight of attention on the company following the lawsuit filed by the Calfiornia Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) last July. It has since snowballed into a massive affair, with the DFEH escalating their lawsuit over time, and another lawsuit being filed by a labour union for trying to prevent employees from gathering.
To be clear: the SEC is not necessarily trying to help the victims of these allegations — their main concern is about how Activision Blizzard communicated the allegations to investors. Information which will influence the stock price of a company needs to be communicated correctly and in a reasonable time frame.
Nonetheless, its another major fire for the company to fight.
Niantic Shuts Down Catan AR Game
Niantic have announced that they are going to be shutting down their mobile AR game CATAN - World Explorers after one year in soft-launch. Until servers officially shut down on November 18, they will be increasing in-game bonuses “to make the most of the remaining weeks.”
Niantic continues the fight to find success in the AR mobile market. Pokemon Go continues to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars for them, while Harry Potter: Wizards Unite hasn’t found success anywhere close to that range. They have two other titles with Pikmin and Transformers collaborations, and more are expected.
Owen Hart Returns to Wrestling Video Games
Legendary wrestler Owen Hart will be making a posthumous return to video games for the upcoming All Elite Wrestling title. AEW and the Owen Hart Foundation announced a partnership which included merchandise and tributes in their television show.
Hart shockingly passed away in 1999 when he fell almost 80 feet attempting a stunt for the WWF (now WWE). His family sued the company for negligence in using equipment that was not meant for his stunt, resulting in the fall. Over the past 22 years, his family refused to allow the company to profit off of his name.
As a result, Hart hasn’t appeared in any WWE video games since 1999, with his last appearance being in Showdown: Legends of Wrestling in 2004.
💭Adrian’s Thoughts: Wrestling games are one of the few niches I know a lot about, and Owen coming back is a huge deal. AEW is a new competitor to the WWE that has absolutely exploded in the last two years, and are doing a lot of things right.
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