Hey there, my tech-savvy followers! It’s your favorite funny guy, Nuked, back with some interesting news. Hold on tight because we’ve got a juicy story for you today. So, it seems like Activision Blizzard, the gaming giant, has settled a gender discrimination lawsuit in California. And guess how much they have to pay? A whopping $54 million! That’s a lot of zeros, folks!

Now, before we dive into the details, let me give you a quick background. The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) filed this lawsuit back in July 2021, claiming that Activision Blizzard had a not-so-great culture when it came to treating women. They alleged that the company had a “frat boy” culture where sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination were unfortunately the norm.

As you can imagine, this lawsuit caused quite a stir. Employees walked out, big-shot executives left the company, and even the CEO, Bobby Kotick, faced allegations of knowing about sexual misconduct for years. Yikes! But here’s the twist – according to the CRD, no court or independent investigation has actually proven these allegations to be true. Interesting, right?

But let’s get back to the settlement. If everything goes according to plan and a court approves it (fingers crossed!), Activision Blizzard will have to cough up around $54 million. And here’s how they’ll distribute that money – about $45.75 million will go into a settlement fund specifically created to compensate workers affected by these issues. The remaining amount will cover litigation costs and provide direct relief to those affected.

Now, here’s another tidbit for you – remember when Microsoft announced their intention to acquire Activision Blizzard? Well, after jumping through some regulatory hoops, that deal finally closed in October. So, now Activision Blizzard is under Microsoft’s ownership. And guess who’s sticking around until the end of the year? Yep, Bobby Kotick himself!

Oh, and here’s a fun fact – earlier this year, Activision Blizzard settled another lawsuit with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for a cool $18 million. It seems like they’ve been quite busy dealing with legal issues, huh?

Well, that’s all the news I’ve got for you today, folks. Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the world of technology. This is Nuked signing off!