Company: Activision Blizzard, Inc.
Company Description: Our mission, to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment has never been more important. Through communities rooted in our video games we enable hundreds of millions of people to experience joy, thrill and achievement. Celebrating differences is at the core of our culture and ensures we can create games for players of diverse backgrounds in the 190 countries our games are played.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Media & Entertainment - Large
 Nomination Title: Activision Blizzard
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the achievements of the nominated organization since January 1 2021, OR written answers to the questions for this category? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
For over 30 years, Activision Blizzard has continuously shaped gaming through our commitment to deliver joy, fun, and the thrill of achievement. We’ve transformed games into social experiences and have enabled players to find purpose and meaning through the most engaging form of entertainment.
We have a deep library of enduring and iconic games including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Call of Duty, StarCraft, Candy Crush, and we have driven some of the biggest trends in games. We launched the “toys to life” category with the Skylanders series, pioneered the rhythm and music genre with Guitar Hero, and created an innovative and scalable esports division. Our professional gaming properties include the Overwatch League, the Call of Duty League, Hearthstone Masters, the World of Warcraft Arena World Championship, among others.
We have always attracted the very best game makers to build the very best games, seizing opportunity with passion, inspiration, and determination. Our talent is a key component to our success, and we actively give back to our communities and demonstrate corporate social responsibility.
We have entertained communities of hundreds of millions of players, currently including ~400M players worldwide with 100M+ players in each key operating region in more than 190 countries.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Outline the organization's achievements since the beginning of 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 240 words used.
Activision Blizzard has launched record-breaking new games, delivered record high performance on others, enhanced its workplace culture and employee benefits, and increased community commitments.
- CoD, Modern Warfare II broke franchise records, crossing $1B in worldwide sell-through within 10 days from its release.
- Candy Crush celebrated its 10th anniversary and became the most downloaded casual match game of all time.
- Overwatch 2 and Diablo Immortal were nominated for Multiplayer Game of 2022 and Best Mobile Game of 2022, respectively, at the Game Awards.
- Placed 100,000 veterans into meaningful employment opportunities through the Call of Duty Endowment.
- Launched Level Up U, a 3-month paid training program, with a class of 104 students, with 45% identifying as women or non-binary and 40% belonging to an underrepresented ethnic group. Graduates were placed into technical roles across our company and its franchise teams.
- Introduced Way2Play Heroes, to drive awareness around ethics and compliance resources, answer questions, and collect direct feedback from employees.
- Launched the Together@ABK mentorship program to help provide tools and resources to build deeper connections, share learnings, and to create community.
- Joined researchers from CalTech to address bad behavior online and in video games.
- Enhanced US benefits to include BetterHelp, Spring Health, increased medical travel benefits, and expanded time off.
- Converted all US-based temporary and contingent QA workers to full-time positions.
- Progressed our Net Zero 2050 commitment, fully disclosing our Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and starting the decarbonization planning process.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 243 words used.
Throughout the economic uncertainty of today, Activision Blizzard has continued to succeed and grow. This is a result of our incredible talent, innovative games, and culture of creativity and respect – all unique within our industry and the broader marketplace.
- We have defined success and the future of our industry through our innovative games.
- CoD Modern Warfare II’s release became the number one top-selling opening weekend ever in franchise history.
- Delivered more than $800M worldwide in sell-through following the first three days from its release.
- Topped the biggest worldwide box office openings of 2022, surpassing ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ and ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ combined.
- Overwatch 2 welcomed 35M players in the first month of its release.
- Diablo Immortal launched as the #1 most-downloaded game in the US app store and topped game download charts in 100+ countries and regions.
- We are becoming the most inclusive and welcoming workplace in the industry.
- As You Sow ranked Activision Blizzard as #1 in the industry for Workplace Diversity Equity and Inclusion and #2 for Racial Justice.
- Increased representation for those who identify as women or non-binary from 24% in 2021 to 26% in 2022 globally, and our overall representation of underrepresented ethnic groups from 36% in 2021 to 38% in 2022 in the US.
- Launched ABK Gives Back, an employee charitable donation matching program, with employees donating nearly $3 million to more than 4,500 charitable organizations across 66 countries in 2022.
- You have the option to answer this final question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Level Up U:
Way2Play:
https://www.activisionblizzard.com/code-of-conduct/launch
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