Call of Duty workers at Raven secure first union contract with Microsoft

A group of 19 quality assurance workers at Call of Duty studio Raven Software have unanimously voted to ratify their first union contract with Microsoft.

The news, which was first reported on by journalist Shannon Liao, comes over three years after Activision Blizzard first officially recognized the union, the Game Workers Alliance.

The contract guarantees a 10% wage increase over two years, the option to permanently work from home for most QA workers, new measures to tackle crunch culture, and a defined process for promotions and salary increases.

The Game Workers Alliance was formed in May 2022. At the time, then-Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick said the publisher would engage in good faith negotiations to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with the workers.

However, it proved to be a drawn out and fraught process for the union members. Last summer, they filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board claiming that Activision and its parent company Microsoft were stalling over contract negotiations.

“After more than three years of organizing and bargaining, seeing it finally pay off feels incredible,” said Raven QA tester and bargaining committee member Erin Hall.

“From day one, we made it a priority to include every voice in the room, and the contract we came out with reflects what we need—better pay, real career paths, and protection from burnout.

“It’s a contract that actually values the work QA does. I’m proud of what we accomplished, and I hope it shows other game workers that organizing works—and it’s worth it.”