"God I swear our own company tries so hard to destroy all goodwill that the real developers who create the game have developed cheap d2r items," character artist Melissa Kelly wrote. She added it was the case that team "doesn't even employ this spooky chart" because the writers, producers, artists, and other devs have eyes.How did Activision Blizzard respond to criticism?
The company later removed all charts from its original article, as well as any mentions of its first-party teams conducting tests with using the Diversity Space Tool, which was later referred to as "prototype" that is currently in beta.
"Our intention with this blog post was to share an ongoing portion of our journey in this effort," the editor's note reads. "We recognize and acknowledge that each person may be on their own, distinct point in their journey with the concepts of diversity, equity and inclusiondiversity, equity, and inclusion.
"The Diversity Space Tool is not a definitive evaluation of the diversity of game content The tool is a bridge in opening previously unspoken discussions about how considerate inclusion can occur - and thrive -- in games."
Former Disney exec Jessica Martinez joins Blizzard as the company's first head of culture. She will deal with workplace issues. This move comes from Blizzard's efforts to create an "more equal, diverse and inclusive workplace culture where everyone can develop, learn, and bring their most creative potential to their jobs," the studio stated in an announcement.
Martinez spent 14 years at The Walt Disney Company, in which she was chief of staff and key strategic advisor. She was responsible for strategies buy diablo 2 resurrected items, marketing, as well as the employee experience.