ACTIVISION BLIZZARD UNDER FIRE

California is suing a publishing company behind popular video games, alleging it of fostering a “frat boy” workplace culture that subjected women at the company to sexual harassment and lower pay than their male peers.

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed the lawsuit Wednesday against Activision Blizzard, the company behind video game franchises such as Call of Duty and World of Warcraft. The state alleges the game publisher, based in Sunnyvale, violated California’s Equal Pay Act and Fair Housing and Employment Act.

Activision Blizzard rejected the allegation, accusing the California agency’s complaint of including “distorted, and in many cases false, descriptions of Blizzard’s past,” according to a statement from an Activision Blizzard spokesperson.