Activision-Blizzard pays $35m to send SEC away, Microsoft merger still in doubt

Rather than face proceedings before the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Activision Blizzard has agreed to pay $35 million to settle charges that it both failed to maintain appropriate misconduct reporting controls over so-called "frat boy culture," and also violated whistleblower protection laws. More specifically, the …

[Pascal Monett]

"the paying of the fine doesn't mean the company is admitting or denying"

It doesn't have to.

It paid, therefor it is guilty.

Innocent people don't pay fines.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "the paying of the fine doesn't mean the company is admitting or denying"

"Innocent people don't pay fines."

That's not completely true - take the case of the shysters who issue fines for non-compliant parking; if you pay within a 14 day window you get "reduction", but if you want to appeal against the fine then you'll lose that reduction if you lose the appeal. In most cases the appeal process is so torturous - and most simply ignore any appeal and pass on to debt collection agencies - that it's not uncommon for people who weren't actually in breach of anything to simply pay the "reduced" fine to put an end to matters.

[Claptrap314]

Re: "the paying of the fine doesn't mean the company is admitting or denying"

You've clearly never been blackmailed.

[pimppetgaeghsr]

The bros have bribed their way out of it in order to get their golden parachutes from MSFT.

I say let the merger sink and force Microsoft to make their own games for once.

[Anonymous Coward]

Who makes their own games? Rockstar... Whoever is on that list, the list extremely small today. Even 20 years ago it was extremely small compared to 10 years prior to that (30 years ago).

I don't think it matters if they buy Activision because if required, Activision could sell off in pieces so MS could buy up all around it (which they do anyways).

I'm very much not a fan of MS or Sony but, I think it's ironic that Sony, of all companies, is throwing stones.