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Is Activision The Monster At The End Of This Book?

Is Activision The Monster At The End Of This Book?

If you spend any time on reddit, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed the perpetual quibbling that happens over things that no normal person has any interest in. But if you log on today and sift trough the cat pictures and the posts about whether something looks infected, you might find an ongoing disagreement about Activision’s charity work.

Many of you might not know this, but Activision is among the largest supporters of veterans in the video game industry. The publisher runs a non-profit organization called The Call of Duty Endowment, which donates hundreds of thousands of dollars to programs like the Wounded Warrior Project and Paralyzed Veterans of America. Obviously, it makes sense that the veterans are Activision’s charity of choice considering the publisher’s back catalog. And, even though supporting veterans is a noble cause, some have questioned whether or not it makes up for the way they treat their customers and employees.

For instance, if PC gamers in Australia get the itch to play a classic Call of Duty title, it could cost as much as $89 U.S. So, if an Aussie wants to download a copy of Modern Warfare 2, they’ll have to shell out nearly 90 bucks. Obviously the supply/demand ratio is weighted in Activision’s favor, and they’re quickly vacuuming up the extra cash.

This is compounded by the fact that Activision laid off 30 employees from their Minneapolis branch in October, but then announced record profits just two weeks later.

Is Activision The Monster At The End Of This Book?

Maybe I’m being an idealistic brat here, but Activision is one of the only developers on earth that can genuinely brag about financial stability, and yet they’re milking every single dollar out of fans and employees. And, as much as I appreciate their support of veterans, it’d be nice if Activision would throw a little sensitivity toward some of the people who have actively helped to make them into the moneymaking giant they are today.

Though, I could be wrong. Thoughts?

By
Josh Engen
News Director
Date: November 13, 2012

*The views expressed within this article are solely the opinion of the author and do not express the views held by Cheat Code Central.*

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