Activision plans to unveil a $US1 million backed non-profit corporation tomorrow designed to help soldiers transition to civilian careers tomorrow.
The Call of Duty Endowment (CODE) unveiling comes on Veterans Day and the official launch day for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
The morning press conference will take place at the Newseum in Washington D.C. and will be hosted by Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick.
The CODE advisory council members include MG Matthew P. Caulfield (USMC-Ret.), COL Roger Dimsdale (USA-Ret.), RADM Ronne Froman (USN-Ret.), CPT Gordon H. Mansfield (USA-Ret.), BG James A. “Spider” Marks (USA-Ret.), GEN Montgomery C. Meigs (USA-Ret.), SFC Steve Robinson (USA-Ret.), BG Harry A. Sieben, Jr. (USANG-Ret.), MG Craig Whelden (USA-Ret.) and MCPO Maurice Wilson (USN-Ret.)
Kotick told the Washington Post that “The joblessness rate that [veterans]should be far less than the national average, not more. How do you expect people to actually join the military if when they leave the military they can’t integrate back into the free market they’re supposed to be protecting?”
Eighteen percent of veterans who left the military in the past one to three years were unemployed, according to a 2008 Department of Veterans Affairs employment survey, the Post reports.
The endowment will support other groups that assist veterans with their careers. A noble effort with suspicious timing.
Skarteh
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 12:57 AMGood. Is it worldwide or just for yanks?
Nice to see something other than relentless greed from Activision.
Tristan Hennessy
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 7:48 AMYou’d assume its just for yanks. But it is good that a company recognises its going to receive a revenue greater that most 3rd world countries GDP and actually give back to society.
Qumulys
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 9:38 AMOh, please. This is just so reports can say “Activision, the company which donated 1 million, has explained the lack of a lean command for ‘balancing’ purposes” etc.
Its just a shameless attempt at some positive PR.
greg
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 10:06 AMtrue true bobby kotick is the dark lord of the sith after all
Marc
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 11:40 AMMost likely true, but who cares? If the vets get something out of it, thats all that matters.
Woodruff
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 12:25 PMWho cares if they get some great PR out of it? For donating a million bucks, frankly…they deserve the great PR. I applaud any PR they get out of it.
Ben
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 2:01 PMHm, the company knows it will have at least a million extra bucks to donate AFTER the investors take their share, yet they still decide to hike up the industry average (50 dollars) and charge 60 dollars for a short singleplayer game with multiplayer content. Huh. Seems odd that they would require those extra ten bucks per person when they are predicting ginormous profits.
Snacuum
Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 8:13 PMThat’s a good point, at the higher price point, only 100,000 people need to buy the game for those buyers to have paid the vets themselves.