Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 Developer Union Accuses Activision Blizzard and Microsoft of “Bad Fidelity”

Unionized workers at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 studio Raven Software have filed a complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against their parent companies Activision Blizzard and Microsoft, as reported by Game File (paid) and obtained by Game Developer. The complaint alleges “bad faith bargaining” and “mutual action, termination, [and] discipline.”

Watch on YouTube

After several layoffs, Raven Software QA employees formed a union at FPS studio in 2022 under the name Game Workers Alliance (GWA), with the help of Communication Workers of America (CWA). Even back then, employees claimed that they were getting interference and backlash from management to “undermine” their efforts. It was a pretty complicated back and forth that involved a limitation on who could actually vote — I recommend reading the news linked above to get the full story.

According to Game Developer, “the initial optimism following the studio's unionization drive has dissipated as senior management has resorted to more obstructionist tactics.”

“Following Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would move quickly toward their first contract at Raven Software,” CWA president Claude Cummings told Game File. “Unfortunately, that did not happen. We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the Unfair Labor Practices charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority.”

While Microsoft told Game File that it was “committed to negotiating in good faith,” the same report notes that Raven employees “have yet to make meaningful progress” despite multiple bargaining attempts since the union was formed in 2022.

Yesterday, we learned that 44 out of 95 workers at Greedfall 2 studio Spiders had signed an open letter to their employer detailing a variety of grievances, including unsatisfactory working conditions, lack of gender equality and equity, and “global mismanagement.” The workers have called for a strike starting next week. In response, Spiders management called the open letter “false and even slanderous accusations” that “do not in any way reflect the reality of the day-to-day working lives of the company's employees.”

Last month, both Bethesda Game Studios and World of Warcraft employees formed full-scale unions with the help of the CWA.

Leave a Comment