Unionization at Activision: Everything you need to know

digitaltrends.com:

Over the course of the last month or so, Quality Assurance (QA) staffers at Raven Software, a subsidiary of Activision, have begun fighting for their right to unionize. The move isn’t the first of its kind in the gaming industry, but something like it has never been attempted by employees at such a large company. This movement started when a large group of QA contractors at Raven Software was suddenly laid off, but much more has transpired since then, including a multiweek strike, an industry-shaking acquisition, and the semiofficial formation of a union.

This is an evolving story, one that will play out over weeks and months. Here’s everything that has happened as workers at Raven Software move to unionize.

On December 3, 2021, Activision Blizzard laid off at least a dozen of its QA contractors. The move came suddenly for members of the team, some of whom had even moved to Wisconsin for their jobs. Overall, the layoffs left Raven Software’s QA department with a third of its employees gone.

Raven Software is one of Activision Blizzard’s many studios that work on the Call of Duty franchise, although it has played the largest role in developing the franchise’s battle royale title, Call of Duty: Warzone. QA testers at Raven Software who had been laid off were kept on the company’s payroll until January 28.

Just three days after a third of Raven Software’s QA contractors were suddenly laid off, another group of around 40 QA testers walked off the job. The group said that they would only return to work if the previously laid-off testers were rehired. Raven Software QA’s strike ended on January 22 as a show of good faith toward Activision Blizzard after the group’s union, the Games Worker Alliance, was formed.

Pending the