Activision QA VP: Unions could hurt our ability to create great games
James Batchelor
Editor-in-Chief
Tuesday 1st February 2022
Activision Blizzard
Raven Software
An Activision Blizzard leader has claimed unions could hinder the publisher from producing high-quality titles, as Raven Software workers continue to push for unionisation.
The comments were made by Christian Arends, the company's vice president for QA, on an internal Slack channel, with staff reportedly unable to reply to his message.
It was shared via Twitter by Jessica Gonzales, one of the organisers behind employee rights group ABK Workers Alliance as well as Game Workers Alliance, the proposed union formed by Raven staff and supporters following layoffs at the Call of Duty Warzone studio.
Arends began his message by stressing that Activision Blizzard "respects employees' NLRA rights to have these discussions about potential unionisation and supports your right to do so," before offering an update on the current situation in the form of a Q&A.
When addressing whether unions protect employees and provide job security, Arends claimed the latter "rests with our ability to produce epic entertainment for our fans."
"A union doesn't do anything to help us produce world-class games, and the bargaining process is not typically quick, often reduces flexibility, and can be adversarial and lead to negative publicity," he wrote.
"All of this could hurt our ability to continue creating great games."
Comparing the process of bargaining with a union and employees having a direct relationship with their management, he claimed the former "often takes months or years to come to a collective bargaining agreement" while a company can reach an agreement and make changes more swiftly if dealing with its staff directly.
Arends also emphasised that, should the
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