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

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.

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 Software laid 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 to crowdfund 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 layoffs due to closing studios. But only a month ago did the first voluntarily recognized gaming union form in North America at the small indie studio Vodeo Games, which produces “Beast Breaker.” Vodeo’s union also works with the CWA.

“Today, I am proud to join with a supermajority of my fellow workers to build our union, Game Workers Alliance. In the video game industry, specifically Raven QA, people are passionate about their jobs and the content they are creating. We want to make sure that the passion from these workers is accurately reflected in our workplace and the content we make. Our union is how our collective voices can be heard by leadership,” said Raven Software tester Becka Aigner in a press release.

This story is developing…