Activision Blizzard Is Lifting Its COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement

Activision Blizzard announced on Thursday that it's removing the vaccine mandate for US corporate employees. As reported by Kotaku, Activision Blizzard executive Brian Bulatao informed the staff via company-wide email saying that the updated vaccine policy will be "effective immediately". "This means that employees no longer need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to return to the office," Bulatao wrote.

Although, he also noted that Activision will "continue to monitor the risks for COVID-19 in all areas where [the company] operates" and asked the employees to keep confirming their vaccination status via Workday, the company's HR platform. "Having this information readily available will allow us to act quickly – and pivot if necessary – if we see a future spike in cases," Bulatao explained.

Following the announcement, an organization of Activision Blizzard employees, A Better ABK, said they would conduct a walkout on April 4 demanding to put the company's vaccine requirement back into effect. According to the alliance, "remote work should be offered as a permanent solution" and "the decision to work remote or in-office should be made by each individual employee".

On Friday, Bulatao clarified the company’s policies in another email (via The Verge) apparently saying that the company will not force the employees to return to offices if they’re uncomfortable with it. He added: "Although we are not on a company-wide basis requiring vaccinations to enter our buildings in the US, it is still up to the leaders of Activision Publishing, Blizzard, and King to determine the processes and policies that work best for their employees and locations based on local conditions and risk."

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