Activision’s Slack Screenshots: A Window into the Company’s Inner Workings Leaked Online

Image credit: Activision/Microsoft.

Employees at Activision Blizzard are encountering heightened harassment on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube after the circulation of what seems to be leaked internal communications among staff discussing the status of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the organization.

The messages—which appear to have been transmitted via Slack, a messaging platform used by Activision Blizzard—were promptly shared by far-right users who criticized the company for its continued support of diversity in the workplace. It seems that someone with access to Activision’s Slack channels is sending screenshots and images of these messages directly to those users.

Senior QA tester at Activision, Sam Hudson, seemed to confirm the ongoing harassment in a post on LinkedIn on January 25, mentioning that several of their coworkers had been “doxxed.”

“This individual captured screenshots of company-wide discussions regarding the protection of our sensitive information (such as name changes and visa statuses) and sent them to a very racist, sexist, and transphobic person on Twitter who has over 100,000 followers,” they remarked.

“It is now even more perilous to be trans or an immigrant at Activision, as someone in our ranks seems unbothered by doxxing individuals.”

Game Developer reviewed the leaked messages and identified several current employees of Activision and its subsidiaries.

Related:Excited Mushroom cofounder Asmongold to ‘step away’ from company after anti-Muslim remarks

These leaks raise concerns about what steps Activision is taking to protect its workforce, and what actions it will take against the individual or individuals who disseminated the screenshots if they are employees of the company. The company’s publicly available diversity policy assures it will create “safe spaces to build community” within the studio. The ongoing leaking of employees’ messages raises questions about whether that commitment is being honored.

The first of these screenshots emerged on January 20, around the time of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and mentions his presidency as a source of anxiety over policies and software selections at the company. The initial leaked messages show an employee expressing concerns about the security of an HR platform called “Workforce,” suggesting it has a tendency to leak and expose the names of transgender employees who have filed for name changes during their tenure at Activision.

Twitter user “YellowFlashGuy” disseminated several messages over the next 24 hours, including one where employees realized their communications were being leaked to X, and they were inquiring what actions Activision was taking to safeguard their security. The names and profile pictures of Activision employees were present in the leaked communications.

On January 27, user Mark Kern (formerly CEO of Red 5 Studios) joined the discussion, showcasing a Slack message from Activision president Rob Kostich, informing employees that the company would continue its DEI policies driven by the Inclusive Growth team. In follow-up posts, he singled out a technical artist at the company for posts they had liked on Facebook and called for veteran organizations to sever ties with Activision over these policies.

Other far-right users on X and YouTube have circulated these screenshots, mocking the employees and encouraging others to participate.

Online harassment campaigns persist in targeting developers in 2025

Game developers have continued to face a resurgence of far-right harassment campaigns aimed at the representation of underrepresented characters in games since early 2024. Around that period, content creators and Steam users within the far-right ecosystem initiated a campaign targeting the freelance game narrative studio Sweet Baby Inc., accusing it of attempting to impose a censorious agenda on its clients, including Insomniac Games, Solve Entertainment, and Rocksteady. Some employees at these companies experienced additional harassment after voicing support for their colleagues.

In the aftermath of this campaign and similar incidents, organizations such as Take This and Games And Harassment Hotline have compiled resources for developers targeted by online harassment.

One such creator was the streamer and Excited Mushroom cofounder “Asmongold,” who repeatedly…
“`discussed the initiative in a different context of 2024 films, concurring with the assertions made against Sweet Toddler Inc. Asmongold “resigned” from Excited Mushroom as well as other businesses he established under One True King, an influencer collective he co-founded with a variety of other streamers and YouTubers. This decision followed a series of anti-Muslim comments during a Twitch stream which resulted in him receiving a temporary ban from the platform.

During GDC that year, online extremism investigator Dr. Rachel Kowert explained to Game Developer that this harassment was likely to persist unless major companies like Sony and Remedy publicly addressed it. “The issue is that when leadership remains silent, it establishes and reinforces cultural standards,” she stated.

Her remarks have gained newfound significance following the inauguration of President Trump, who has enacted executive orders that terminate DEI programs in government agencies.

Currently, Activision employees have received communication from the company’s leadership indicating their commitment to continue supporting diversity initiatives. However, they still do not seem to be shielded from individuals intent on halting the growth of inclusivity within the gaming community.

Game Developer has contacted Activision Blizzard and its parent company Microsoft for comments on this matter and will provide updates as soon as a response is received.

Game Developer and GDC are affiliated organizations under Informa.

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