Call Of Duty Developers At Raven Software Seek To Form A Union, Asking For Recognition From Activision
A group of testers at Call of Duty studio Raven Software, which is owned by Activision, have formally begun the process of creating a union. The quality assurance developers are working with the Communication Workers of America union to create a guild called Game Workers Alliance. This is happening just days after Microsoft announced its intent to acquire Activision Blizzard and all of its studios, including Raven.
«The voices of workers should be heard by leadership. By uniting in solidarity, we can ensure our message is further reaching, and more effective,» the organization said on social media.
The group has 34 members right now, according to reporter Jason Schreier. The group is seeking to become among the first video game industry unions in North America. Some of the QA staff at Raven Software, a Call of Duty co-developer that contributes to Call of Duty: Warzone and other projects, have been on strike in some form since before the holidays. Activision has since delayed the launch of new Call of Duty content, including the start of Season 2 for Warzone and Vanguard, though whether or not this is connected directly to the walk-outs at Raven is unclear.
The group outlined its principles across a series of tweets. The Game Workers Alliance is calling for transparency from management regarding decisions that will affect the working lives of employees and for managers to work towards «realistic timelines and development plans» to help avoid «crunch.» This is the industry term for extended periods of overtime.
«Crunch is not healthy for any product, worker, or company,» the group said.
Our Principles: -Solidarity: The voices of workers should be heard by leadership. By uniting in solidarity, we can ensure our message is
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