More Overwatch League sponsors – including Pringles, IBM, and State Farm – appear to have quietly rescinded their partnerships with the league amid Activision Blizzard’s ongoing lawsuit with the state of California.
News of the state of California suing Activision Blizzard for a pervasive ‘frat boy’ culture-shocked much of the gaming world.
The company, best known for publishing the incredibly popular Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft game series, is accused of fostering an environment where female staff are sexually harassed and paid unequally.
In response, a number of major companies partnered with Activision Blizzard’s properties are rescinding their partnerships. First to go was T-Mobile, whose logo was no longer featured in Call of Duty League (CDL) or Overwatch League (OWL) streams.
Following in T-Mobile’s footsteps are multiple other companies. On August 6, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the Overwatch League’s ‘partnership’ section is looking increasingly bare.
Since August 3, the logos of Cheez-It Grooves and Pringles have disappeared from the OWL’s list of partnerships.
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So too have the logos of technology company IBM and insurance company State Farm.
While Coca-Cola’s logo is still displayed in the partnership’s section, Dexerto has previously reported that the drinks company’s sponsorship is in jeopardy as a result of the lawsuit.
Not only is Activision Blizzard being sued by the state of California, but is facing a lawsuit from its own shareholders for failing to disclose information relating to it. The second lawsuit accuses Blizzard of hiding the reasons behind the lawsuit in order to maintain share prices.
The outcome of both lawsuits remains to be seen, but we will continue to update you where necessary.
