Employees of controversial Activision Blizzard has been at the center of a number of lawsuits over the last few years, with calls for unionization due to reports of mistreatment, harassment, and abuse in the workplace. However, Activision Blizzard has discouraged unionization in the past, stating that change could be made faster with more direct and open discussions between employees and management.
This is far from the first time that video game companies have addressed unionization and expressed their disapproval of it. Discussions of unions picked up notably in 2018 and 2019 following the development and release of a number of AAA games, when companies were coming under fire for allegedly having their employees adhere to crunch schedules that sometimes involved workweeks of up to 100 hours. Despite many companies siding against the formation of unions, the tide has begun to turn in the gaming industry, and late last year, Beast Breaker developer Vodeo Games formed North America’s first video game union.
As reported by Washington Post, QA testers at Raven Software, a group that was recently given full-time positions at Activision, have voted to unionize, becoming the first “major” U.S.-based union in the gaming industry. The vote ed 19 to three. The Game Workers Alliance is now tasked with negotiating with management at Activision Blizzard and Raven Software to produce an employee-friendly contract. However, Jason Schreier on Twitter notes from a Bloomberg article that, “management encouraged employees to vote against unionizing…” and, “it can take a very long time for a union to negotiate its first contract.” This all comes despite accusations that Raven Software was trying to actively prevent its workers from unionizing.
The company is currently under a lot of scrutiny, not just for previously discouraging unionization, but also due to the large number of accusations related to Activision Blizzard's allegedly toxic work culture. These claims have led to a multitude of lawsuits from California, New York, the U.S. government, and employees. In the midst of the legal battles, Activision Blizzard announced it has been acquired by Microsoft in an industry-shaking move that leaves the company's future perhaps more solid.
Unionizing is still a controversial matter for companies and staff, not only in game development, but also around the world. A union can ensure that a given company has rules and guidelines in place to protect its employees, something which is sorely needed as more accusations of poor working conditions, long hours, and toxicity in the workplace continue to emerge from a range of gaming companies. While it's not yet known what exactly The Game Workers Alliance will be able to provide Raven Software employees at Activision Blizzard, it certainly is a historic move.
Source: Jason Schreier/Twitter, Washington Post, Bloomberg
Editor’s Note: A lawsuit has been filed against Activision Blizzard by the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, which alleges the company has engaged in abuse, discrimination, and retaliation against its female employees. Activision Blizzard has denied the allegations. The full details of the Activision Blizzard lawsuit (content warning: rape, suicide, abuse, harassment) are being updated as new information becomes available.
