It’s nearly impossible to convince random teammates in Call of Duty to organize their efforts. The same can’t be said for the people who make the games, however, because 34 employees at Raven Software have voted to unionize with support from Communication Workers of America.
Activision Blizzard acquired Raven Software in 1997. The studio has mostly worked on the Call of Duty franchise in recent years, with its most recent title being Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, which debuted in September 2020. It’s likely working on the next franchise entry now.
Members of Raven Software’s quality assurance (QA) department voted to unionize after 12 of their colleagues were laid off in December 2021, according to Reuters, which reports that the remaining employees have also been striking in solidarity with their departed colleagues.
“While we believe that a direct relationship between the company and its team members delivers the strongest workforce opportunities,” Activision Blizzard told Reuters, “we deeply respect the rights of all employees under the law to make their own decisions about whether or not to join a union.”
Raven Software’s QA workers are seeking voluntary recognition of the union; Activision Blizzard told Reuters it is “carefully reviewing” the request. If it declines, the union will hold an election sponsored by the National Labor Relations Board, which leaves its fate up to other employees.
This revelation follows Microsoft’s announcement that it plans to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion—in cash—pending approval from Activision Blizzard shareholders and regulators. It seems likely that all parties will be watching Raven Software’s unionization efforts closely.
