Unionized workers at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 studio Raven Software have filed a complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against parent companies Activision Blizzard and Microsoft, as reported by Game File (paywall) and covered by Game Developer. The complaint, Game Developer writes, alleges “bad faith negotiations” and “concerted activities” — which cover “retaliation, termination, [and] discipline.”
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Raven Software QA workers formed the union in 2022 at the FPS studio under the name Game Workers Alliance (GWA), with the help of the Communication Workers Of America (CWA), after several layoffs. Even then, workers claimed to have faced interference and resistance from management who tried to “undermine” their efforts. It was a fairly complex back-and-forth involving limiting the number of people who could actually vote—I recommend reading the report linked above for the full story.
According to Game Developer, “the initial optimism that followed the studio's unionization drive has now dissipated,” as attempts to reach a collective agreement have been met with renewed stonewalling tactics from higher-ups.
“Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that we could quickly sign an initial contract with Raven Software,” CWA President Claude Cummings told Game File. “Unfortunately, that did not happen. We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the unfair labor practice charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority.”
Microsoft told Game File that they remain “committed to negotiating in good faith,” though the same report notes that Raven workers have “yet to make meaningful progress” despite multiple attempts at negotiation since the union formed in 2022.
Yesterday, we learned that 44 of the 95 workers at Greedfall 2 studio Spiders have signed an open letter to their employers detailing several grievances, including poor working conditions, lack of equality and gender parity, and “overall mismanagement.” The workers have called for a strike starting next week. In response, Spiders management called the open letter “false and even defamatory accusations” that “do not reflect the reality of the daily working lives of the company’s employees.”
Last month, employees at Bethesda Game Studios and World of Warcraft formed unions with the help of the CWA.