The newest World of Warcraft update reduces the amount of titty that can be seen in the game. Unfortunately, no restitution for its gender-marginalised developers is in sight.
As spotted by WowHead user Archimtiros, the latest 9.1.5 patch for World of Warcraft updates some in-game paintings of women to be less revealing, while others have been removed altogether. A robed woman’s image in Stormwind has been altered to cover more of her breasts, and a scantily clad reclining woman in Ravenholdt has met the strange fate of becoming a bowl of fruit.
While no direct correlation is apparent, the patch’s timing notably coincides with the fact that Activision Blizzard is currently being sued by the state of California for gender discrimination and abuse against its female employees.
The lawsuit details accounts of sexual harassment, retaliation, gender pay disparity, and racial discrimination at Activision Blizzard. The suit aims to make the company comply with workplace laws, and to address wages lost by some employees due to gender discrimination.
However, by some accounts Activision Blizzard shows no signs of addressing the issues at the heart of California’s claims. Just this week, the employee advocacy group ABetterABK filed its own lawsuit against Activision Blizzard for coercing organisers, hiring union busting firms, and surveilling workers over legally protected labour activities. So while Activision Blizzard is being sued for discrimination, employees allege that the company has responded by punishing those who are fighting for better treatment.
These painting updates follow changes to other sexual references in World of Warcraft and other Blizzard properties. Overwatch’s McCree is also being renamed so that he no longer shares a name with a Blizzard designer who hung out in the so-called Cosby Suite, a location that has become closely associated with the “frat boy culture” described in California’s lawsuit. Unfortunately, no matter how thoroughly the company tries to scrub its image, its union busting indicates that it has no intention of treating real women with respect.
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