Microsoft says it won’t object if Activision recognises Call of Duty studio’s potential union

Microsoft has been asked by a group of Activision Blizzard employees whether or not it will object to internal unionization efforts, specifically at Call of Duty developer Raven Software.

According to Axios, in response to an open letter, the company has said that it will not object to the union efforts, which have largely gained momentum in the wake of Activision Blizzard’s ongoing scandals. 

In the letter, which has been shared with Axios, workers asked CEO Satya Nadella whether Microsoft has authorized Activision to rule on the recognition of the union.

The Raven workers also accuse Activision of using “union-busting” tactics to prevent their action, and call on Microsoft to stop the “campaign that is being waged against us”.

Responding to the letter, a Microsoft spokesperson told Axios: “Microsoft will not stand in the way if Activision Blizzard recognizes a union.”

The statement continues: “Microsoft respects Activision Blizzard employees’ right to choose whether to be represented by a labour organization and we will honour those decisions.”

Axios noted that the statement did not clarify what stage the discussions are currently at.

In February, Activision’s vice president of QA Christian Arends sent a message to staff in an attempt to dissuade them from joining a union.

In January, a 34-strong group called the Game Workers Alliance officially asked parent company Activision Blizzard to recognise the union, which would be the first ever at a major North American game development studio.

Further reading

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Activision exec tells staff that forming a union ‘could affect game quality’

"All of this could hurt our ability to continue creating great games"

In November, Activision informed 12 QA workers at Raven that their contracts would be terminated on January 28. The layoffs would reduce Raven’s QA team of 40 staff, which mainly works on Warzone, by just over 30%, according to protestors who had been on strike for nearly two months.

It’s claimed the affected staff were let go in “good standing”, meaning they hadn’t underperformed or committed any sackable offences, and that the dismissals were announced at a time when Warzone was earning $5.2 million daily.