While major corporations like Walmart and Amazon have disbanded their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and President Donald Trump has officially ended DEI programs at the federal level, Call of Duty developer Activision Blizzard President Rob Kostich appears determined to buck the trend.
In a company-wide email, Kostich reinforced the company’s unwavering commitment to DEI, despite growing skepticism among the gaming community and a broader cultural shift against these ideologies in a post to the company’s Slack.
Activision/Blizzard President doubles down on DEI and ESG. Hundreds of employees send likes.
In an all company message, Rob Kostich re-affirms the company commitment to disastrous non-merit policies that have destroyed studios non stop in 2024.
“To be clear, this work continue… pic.twitter.com/C1QmJXrF0E
— Grummz (@Grummz) January 27, 2025
Kostich’s post stated:
“Team, given the headlines around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the workplace, it’s no surprise that questions have come up about what the future looks like at Activision and whether our focus and priorities around DEI [will] shift. To be clear, this work continues to be extremely important in everything that we do. It’s important to our games, our culture, and who we are as a company. Our Inclusive Growth team has made great strides in helping us weave inclusivity into all aspects of business. Our strategy here remains focused on enhancing the experiences of all employees, providing exceptional experiences to players globally and providing accessible opportunities to those interacting with our company and brand. I look forward to all the great work we’ll continue to do together.”
The post, which received enthusiastic responses from many Activision Blizzard employees—several featuring ideological flags in their reactions—reaffirmed the company’s stance on incorporating DEI into its games, workplace, and overall strategy.
However, this decision comes at a time when public sentiment is increasingly rejecting these initiatives. This comes on the day President Trump is expected to sign an executive order officially banning DEI initiatives from the U.S. Department of Defense. Activision works closed with DoD through the Call of Duty Endowment Program.
A screenshot from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (2023), Sledgehammer Games
Former World of Warcraft lead Mark Kern, known online as “Grummz,” weighed in on the matter by tagging newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in a post on X.
Hello @PeteHegseth, Activision has a joint program with the DoD, do they not? For the Call of Duty Endowment Program?
This is what their President sent out to the entire company today, doubling down on DEI.
Since you are now Secretary of Defense, I thought this should be… pic.twitter.com/suAPzPSPDw
— Grummz (@Grummz) January 27, 2025
Kern’s post read:
“Hello @PeteHegseth, Activision has a joint program with the DoD, do they not? For the Call of Duty Endowment Program? This is what their President sent out to the entire company today, doubling down on DEI. Since you are now Secretary of Defense, I thought this should be brought to your attention.”
The Call of Duty Endowment program, a collaboration between Activision Blizzard and the Department of Defense, has historically focused on helping military veterans transition into civilian jobs. But with President Trump’s executive order expected to dissolve DEI-related programs within the Department of Defense, questions are being raised about the future of this partnership. Will the government continue working with a company whose leadership remains steadfast in its DEI agenda, even as other corporations and federal entities are stepping away?
Just this weekend, Secretary Hegseth stated in no uncertain terms that the DoD will not be involved with DEI at any level.
The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear: No more DEI at @DeptofDefense.
The Pentagon will comply, immediately.
No exceptions, name-changes, or delays. pic.twitter.com/KwRtxYRIbG
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 26, 2025
“The President’s guidance (lawful orders) is clear.” he said on X. “No more DEI at @DeptofDefense. The Pentagon will comply, immediately. No exceptions, name-changes, or delays.”
For many gamers and industry observers, Activision Blizzard’s move feels increasingly out of touch with both the gaming community and the shifting corporate landscape. DEI initiatives have faced growing criticism for prioritizing ideological goals over the quality of products and services, leading to a backlash in various industries, including gaming.
A screenshot from Call of Duty: Warzone (2020), Raven
The coming weeks will reveal whether this stance affects Activision Blizzard’s relationships with key partners like the Department of Defense, as well as their reputation within the gaming world. With figures like Mark Kern calling for accountability and federal scrutiny, this may be only the beginning of a larger cultural battle playing out in the gaming industry.
Do you think the federal government should continue to work with Activision Blizzard after the company doubled down on DEI? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
No More Activision/Blizzard Games for me. I just canceled my XBOX GamePass subscription too.
Excellent. Hit them in the wallet, this is what I do, too. I use open source where possible, for example, and pay the entertainment industry nowt.
I wonder how Microshaft feels about that $64 billion acquisition of the company now? Especially since Hacktivision’s only profits have come from MTX in their mobile games while COD just keeps losing players and even customers for each year’s version? Microshaft might support woke itself, but even they don’t like losing money. And Hacktivision hasn’t come close to earning a return for them.
Heh. You think that Kotick would do anything without his overlords approving it? Microsoft is one of the biggest and earliest DEI pushers there are. Look how Bill Gates and his gaggle of posers acted. Acts to this day. Big lover of DEI/ESG dotations, especially from EU.
Of course they’d double down. Most people working there are DEI hires.
What happens if you play with fire? You burn to a crisp.
The Chinese will totally take over the gaming market if the West keeps making DEI junk that despises strong white males who are straight.
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