Raven Software testers at Activision Blizzard form the first union at a major US gaming company

techcrunch.com:

Today, Raven Software’s quality assurance department — which mostly works on “Call of Duty” as part of Activision Blizzard — became the first union to form at a major U.S. gaming company. With help from the Communications Workers of America (CWA), Raven Software testers launched the Game Workers Alliance, which plans to focus on “improving the conditions of workers in the video game industry by making it a more sustainable, equitable place where transparency is paramount,” even beyond its own company. The 34-worker unit is asking management to recognize their union during a time already marked by change: on Tuesday, Microsoft acquired Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in one of the priciest tech acquisitions of all time.

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But on the heels of that historic acquisition, Activision Blizzard has been embroiled in controversy amid ongoing SEC investigations and sexual harassment scandals. Internally, employees started laying a grassroots foundation for worker solidarity through groups like the ABK Workers Alliance. When Raven Softwarelaid off 12 contractors in early December, the team at the Wisconsin-based studio staged a walkout, which continued for five weeks leading up to today’s unionization announcement. The ABK Workers Alliance used its sizable social media following tocrowdfund over $370,000 to assist with wages during the strike. The CWA said that this strike was the third work stoppage at Activision Blizzard after the company was sued in July 2021 over sexual harassment and misconduct claims.

This level of organizing among workers has little precedent in gaming, despite the industry being notorious for over-working employees or deploying mass