Labor organizers say Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard won’t stop them

polygon.com:

On Tuesday Microsoft announced its plan to acquire Activision Blizzard — makers of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush, and many other popular video game franchises — for a reported $68.7 billion. The move comes amidst heightened tensions between leaders at Activision Blizzard and workers attempting to form a union. Organizers say that despite the distraction and the potential for new leadership, the fight for worker’s rights at Activision Blizzard is still ongoing.

In a statement Tuesday on Twitter, the Activision Blizzard King Workers’ Alliance was adamant that the change must come from the top of the company — regardless of who its owner is.

“The news of Activision’s acquisition by Microsoft is surprising,” said the Activision Blizzard King Worker’s Alliance in a statement today on Twitter, “but does not change the goals of the ABK Worker’s Alliance. We remain committed to fighting for workplace improvement and the rights of our employees regardless of who is financially in control of the company.”

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It’s a situation that Activision Blizzard has largely brought upon itself. The story began last summer with detailed reporting at Kotaku and other outlets describing a hostile work environment decades in the making. In Sep. 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission joined in, filing a formal complaint against Activision Blizzard. In it, the EEOC claimed that the video game publisher subjected employees to sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and retaliation. The issue was settled to the tune of $18 million, but in the weeks and months that have followed, even more unsavory stories have come to light. One worker said the company suffers from an “alcohol-soaked culture of sexual