Blizzard is known for many things. The tight balance of StarCraft, the starter of the virtual card game craze with Hearthstone, the sheer existence of World of Warcraft, and most recently, the inclusion of a diverse roster of characters in Overwatch. According to a recent internal memo obtained by Kotaku, it seems Blizzard is putting their money where their mouth is and applying this diversity to their real life offices.
The gaming juggernaut has always been known for their perfection. Discussions about a Blizzard game are typically discussions about taste, rather than polish. They're known for driving a point down to near perfection, and with Overwatch, that applies to the gameplay and the inclusion of different types of characters.
But apparently, that wasn't enough for them, so they're launching a new "global diversity and inclusion initiative" to apply to the real life Tracers, Lucios, and Meis of the world. The purpose of this campaign is to recruit women and minority groups that are underrepresented in the industry.
Blizzard CEO and co-founder Mike Morhaime stated in the email that women currently make up 21 percent of Blizzard's workforce, while underrepresented minority groups (as a whole) make up 14 percent. He also stated that female developers leave Blizzard "at a higher rate than men." He adds that these trends are in line with the industry as a whole as well. He plans to change that.
"Our diversity initiative will require a commitment from every one of us, but especially from our leaders, managers, and hiring teams. We appreciate your dedication to help Blizzard achieve this goal."
Morhaime stated that Blizzard does not plan to have quotas for the new hires. Instead, they plan to work with groups like Girls Who Code and other specific groups to find candidates. In the world of social media, these seemingly niche groups are easier to find than in the past, while some prove to not be so niche at all.
Check out Kotaku's post about the memo for more details. Do you know of any groups like Girls That Code or other underrepresented minority groups? Let us know in the comments, and more importantly, Tweet them to Blizzard themselves.
