In an interview on The New York Times podcast Sway, head of Xbox Phil Spencer said that Xbox has changed how they do things with Activision Blizzard but declined to go into detail. LEGO Overwatch 2 Titan 76980 Delayed Amid Activision Blizzard Workplace Allegations. The Danish toy maker announced today that it’s delaying the release until it can finish reviewing its. Last year, advertisers including Kellogg’s and Coca-Cola pulled their sponsorships from the Overwatch League - Activision Blizzard’s Overwatch esports league - as the allegations first came to light. Lego’s Overwatch 2 Titan set won’t come out next month as planned. As companies like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo publicly and privately express concerns about Activision Blizzard, Lego seems to be the first gaming-adjacent company to take direct action. While we complete the review we will pause the release of a LEGO Overwatch 2 product which was due to go on sale on February 1, 2022.Īctivision Blizzard has been involved in an extensive legal battle with several government agencies over allegations that its employees fostered a work environment rife with discrimination, abuse, and sexual harassment. We are currently reviewing our partnership with Activision Blizzard given concerns about the progress being made to address continuing allegations regarding workplace culture, especially the treatment of female colleagues and creating a diverse and inclusive environment. In a statement to The Verge, Alice Carter, Lego’s senior manager of corporate brand communication, said:
First reported by The Brick Fan, a Lego review site, the extremely popular toymaker is delaying the release of an Overwatch 2-themed set as the company reviews its relationship with Overwatch 2 publisher Activision Blizzard. Either way, it's probably good news for fans of Blizzard branded apparel, although we do not yet have a date for the re-launch of the Blizzard store outside of early 2022.Ī new Blizzard Gear Store experience is coming soon in 2022.The name Overwatch 2 has become synonymous with delay. In this case, it seems more likely that the contract with Fanatics simply expired, rather than the change being a direct result of Activision Blizzard's increasingly dinged reputation. Interestingly, the Online Blizzard Store has also entered hiatus, following an announcement last month that it would be transitioning to a "new experience." Although light on the details, the announcement implied that Blizzard would be ending its partnership with sportswear seller Fanatics, which took over operation of the Blizzard Store in 2019 and very quickly suffered a poor reception from customers due to the equally poor quality of their merchandise. This list previously included T-Mobile, State Farm, IBM, and Xfinity, as well as Kellogg's Cheez-It Grooves and Pringles Wavy brands.Īlthough LEGO was never an official sponsor of the League, their limited partnership to produce sets advertising the upcoming game is in no way less impactful, as merchandise sold through the Blizzard store and other retailers have long been an important part of marketing. Since that time, Xfinity was also quietly removed from the Overwatch League partners page, leaving only Coca-Cola and teamspeak remaining. Several months ago, we saw corporate sponsors abandon Activision Blizzard in droves, as T-Mobile and State Farm insurance were quickly joined by IBM and Kellogg's in pulling their ads from Overwatch League matches.
The LEGO set has been delayed for an unspecified amount of time, citing a review of their partnership with Activision Blizzard. In a statement reported on The Brick Fan, and shared by retail outlet customers, LEGO stated that the company was reviewing their partnership with Activision and the progress being made to address its workplace allegations. LEGO has paused the release of their upcoming Overwatch 2 Titan set, originally set to release on Feburary 1st, 2022.
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