A little over two weeks ago, the quality assurance (QA) and testing department of Activision Blizzard’s Raven studio voted to unionize and as of today June 10, 2022, a collective barging negotiation has been begun between the two parties.
According to a report from AXIOS, Activision Blizzard and the QA and testing division of Raven studios have set about a path to collective barging negotiations after months of public company opposition that included invoking a National Labor Relations Board investigation in to worker eligibility to initiate a vote for unionization.
The news is only hours fresh and official talks have yet to bear any details but current Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick released the following memo to employees,
While first labor contracts can take some time to complete, we will meet CWA [Communications Workers of America] leaders at the bargaining table and work toward an agreement that supports the success of all our employees.
Raven’s unionization success comes at a transitional and presumably welcomed time, as Microsoft coincidentally made its own announcement of adopting pro-union communications within its own business.
With Microsoft poised to take control of Activision Blizzard following regulatory approval of its $68 billion dollar bid next summer, the alignment of pro-union efforts from both companies couldn’t come at a better time for studio employees.
