close
close

Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 developers union accuses Activision Blizzard and Microsoft of “negotiating in bad faith”

Union members of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 studio Raven Software have filed a complaint with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against parent companies Activision Blizzard and Microsoft, as reported by Game File (behind a paywall) and handled by Game Developer. The complaint, Game Developer writes, alleges “bad faith bargaining” and “concerted activities” — which includes “retaliation, termination, (and) discipline.”

Watch on YouTube

Raven Software QA workers formed the union in 2022 at the FPS studio as the Game Workers Alliance (GWA), with help from the Communication Workers Of America (CWA), after several layoffs. Even then, workers alleged they faced interference and stonewalling from management in attempts to “undermine” their efforts. It was a fairly convoluted back-and-forth with restrictions on who could actually vote – I recommend reading the reporting linked above to get the full story.

According to Game Developer, “the initial optimism that followed the studio’s unionization campaign has now dissipated,” as attempts to reach a collective bargaining agreement have resulted in even more blocking tactics from on high.

“Following Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would quickly secure their first contract with 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 complaint and make reaching a fair agreement a priority.”

Microsoft told Game File that it remains “committed to negotiating in good faith,” though the same report notes that Raven workers “have not made meaningful progress” despite several negotiating attempts since the union formed in 2022.

Yesterday we learned that 44 of the 95 employees of Greedfall 2 studio Spiders signed an open letter to their employers detailing various grievances, including unsatisfactory working conditions, lack of gender equality and parity, and “global mismanagement.” The workers have called for a strike starting next week. In response, Spiders management called the open letter “false and even defamatory allegations” that “in no way reflect the reality of the daily working lives of the company’s employees.”

Last month, both Bethesda Game Studios and World of Warcraft employees formed a broad union with the help of the CWA.