After days of silence, it seems Activision Blizzard may have finally taken action regarding Kyle Hickey, the Blizzard technical artist who ignited controversy with his violent social media post that called on followers to “kill your local MAGA.” Former World of Warcraft team lead Mark Kern, known online as Grummz, confirmed that multiple sources close to the situation have informed him that Hickey’s Slack account has been deactivated.
Kern shared the update on X.
I can now confirm from multiple sources that the Blizzard artist who made threats against MAGA has had their slack account deactivated.
This is usually a sign of termination.
Something was finally done. https://t.co/fyGTPamF07
— Grummz (@Grummz) February 7, 2025
“I can now confirm from multiple sources that the Blizzard artist who made threats against MAGA has had their Slack account deactivated.” he said. This is usually a sign of termination. Something was finally done.”
If true, this represents a major about-face for Activision Blizzard. As recently as February 4, Kern had publicly stated that nothing was being done about Hickey’s post, citing insider sources. At the time, Kern expressed frustration over what he saw as selective enforcement of company policies.
“Nothing is being done,” Kern stated on X. “I have confirmed with insider sources that nothing has happened to the Blizzard artist who called for offing local MAGA. Outrageous. Imagine if he had said this about the Left. Completely one-sided HR policies which have ‘zero tolerance’ for this type of language… unless they agree with it. Death threats are wrong, folks, and I’m tired of people saying they are ‘just jokes.’”
Nothing is being done.
I have confirmed with insider sources that nothing has happened to the Blizzard artist who called for offing local MAGA.
Outrageous. Imagine if he had said this about the Left.
Completely one sided HR policies which have “zero tolerance” for this type of… pic.twitter.com/39rhI6bVPi
— Grummz (@Grummz) February 4, 2025
Now, with Hickey’s deactivation appearing to signal his potential termination, Activision Blizzard may be attempting to quietly contain the backlash.
On January 21, just one day after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Kyle Hickey posted on Facebook, saying, “Kill your local MAGA.”
Unlike other inflammatory statements that might be defended as satire, sarcasm, or exaggeration, Hickey’s post contained no disclaimers—no “LOL,” no emojis, and no clarification that it was meant in jest. The blunt statement, a call for violence against supporters of the sitting U.S. president, was liked by multiple followers, including Max Davenport, Associate Art Director at Gearbox Software.
Kern brought Hickey’s post into the public spotlight, sharing screenshots and highlighting the hypocrisy of how companies handle speech they disagree with. Meanwhile, Hickey swiftly vanished from the internet, deactivating all of his social media accounts and taking his personal art website offline.
Blizzard artist Kyle Hickey appears to call for violence against Trump supporters on social media – X Screenshot via @Grummz
For days, Activision Blizzard remained silent, despite mounting pressure from gamers, industry professionals, and conservative commentators. Many saw this as another example of the double standard in corporate HR policies—where perceived threats against left-leaning groups result in immediate termination, but threats against conservatives are ignored or tolerated.
This incident comes at a pivotal moment for Activision Blizzard, as the company has recently doubled down on its DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, even as other major corporations—like Walmart and Amazon—have begun moving away from such programs.
A screenshot from World of Warcraft: The War Within Alpha (2024), Blizzard
On January 20, the same day President Trump was inaugurated, Activision Blizzard President Rob Kostich sent a company-wide message reaffirming the company’s dedication to DEI.
“To be clear, this work continues to be extremely important in everything that we do,” he said in his message to staff. “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.”
Kern immediately called out Kostich’s statement, arguing that Activision Blizzard’s commitment to DEI was fostering an openly hostile work environment where employees felt emboldened to engage in political extremism without fear of consequences.
“This is the type of atmosphere that Activision President Rob Kostich is fostering as he doubles down on woke DEI and ESG today,” Kern posted. “HR turns a blind eye to open calls for violence and death at these studios.”
A screenshot from World of Warcraft: The War Within Alpha (2024), Blizzard
For now, it remains unclear whether Hickey has been formally fired or if his Slack deactivation is simply a precursor to further internal action. Regardless, the move signals that Activision Blizzard may have felt forced to address the situation after sustained public scrutiny.
But the question remains: Would this action have been taken at all if people like Kern hadn’t applied pressure? Many believe that without the spotlight on Hickey’s post, Activision Blizzard would have quietly ignored the issue, allowing yet another example of ideological extremism to go unchecked within its workforce.
Kern, for his part, isn’t letting up. He has already called for a Call of Duty boycott until Activision Blizzard not only removes DEI but also issues a formal repudiation of the toxic corporate culture it has enabled.
A screenshot from Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (2024), Treyarch
“It’s time to boycott Call of Duty until they remove DEI from Activision and their President repeals the toxic program,” Kern declared. “You can’t have employees wishing death to MAGA and a President doubling down on DEI. Americans deserve better games and game companies.”
With tensions high and scrutiny increasing, this latest development may only be the beginning of a larger reckoning for Activision Blizzard. The gaming community will be watching closely to see what happens next.
Do you think Activision Blizzard fired Kyle Hickey? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
