Call Of Duty Black Ops 6 developer union have accused Activision Blizzard and Microsoft of “bad faith bargaining”

The complaint has been filed with the NLRB

Image credit: Activision

Unionised workers at Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 studio Raven Software have filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against parent companies Activision Blizzard and Microsoft, as reported by Game File (paywalled), and covered by Game Developer. The complaint, write Game Developer, is over “bad faith bargaining” and “concerted activities” – which covers “retaliation, discharge, [and] discipline.”

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Raven Software QA workers formed the union in 2022 at the FPS studio under the name Game Workers Alliance (GWA), with help from the Communication Workers Of America (CWA), following several firings. Even at the time, the workers claimed they faced interference and pushback from management in attempts to “undermine” their efforts. It was a fairly complex back-and-forth involving a limitation on who could actually vote – I recommend reading the coverage linked above to get the full story.

According to Game Developer, “the initial optimism that followed the studio’s unionisation push has now dissipated”, as attempts to reach a collective bargaining agreement have resulted in yet more stonewalling tactics from higher-ups.

“After Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, our members were optimistic that they would progress quickly to a first contract at Raven Software,” said CWA president’s Claude Cummings to Game File. “Unfortunately, that has not happened. We encourage Microsoft to address the concerns raised in the Unfair Labour Practice charge and make reaching a fair agreement a priority.”

Microsoft told Game File they remain “committed to negotiating in good faith,” although the same report points out that Raven’s workers have “yet to make meaningful progress” despite several bargaining attempts since the union’s formation in 2022.

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

Last month, both Bethesda Game Studios and World of Warcraft workers formed wall-to-wall unions with the help of the CWA.