Sharif Said
August 6, 2021 08:53 GMT
The two major Overwatch League sponsors are dropping it.
Both Coca-Cola and State Farm said they will withdraw from their partnership with the Blizzard eSports Championship Overwatch LeagueAfterwards, California filed a lawsuit against Activision Blizzard Studio for discrimination and sexual harassment.
The Washington Post reported that the two brands are now reassessing their sponsorship. Since 2019, the insurance company State Farm has been a sponsor of the Overwatch League. The company told WaPo that it has requested “no ads during the competition this weekend.”
Although Coca-Cola did not specify whether it will continue to sponsor the Overwatch League, the company said in a statement, “We are working with Blizzard’s partners to take a step back and re-examine future plans and procedures.”
The news came after T-Mobile, another sponsor of the Overwatch League and Call of Duty League, removed its brand from the broadcast and forced players to hide its logo on the team jersey.
Although T-Mobile no longer appears on the COD Alliance website, Coca-Cola and State Farm are still on the partner list on the Overwatch Alliance website, although this may change soon.
Alliance sponsors are not the only Activision Blizzard partners who have noticed this lawsuit. The publisher was sued by shareholders for allegedly concealing an investigation.
The consequences of the lawsuit created a constantly changing situation at Activision Blizzard. CEO Bobby Kotick promised to change and was independently audited by a law firm known for disrupting the unions of large companies. Many workers found that Kotic’s statement did not address their demands, and there were signs that collective bargaining groups were beginning to form.
Blizzard president J. Allen Brack and long-term human resources director Jesse Meschuk were both deposed.
